rl     "  r 


"THE  VATICAN  LIBRARY."    Iss'ied  Bi-Weekly.    lio.  9 
Cl^  i        Sejnemhfr  1,  ISSit, 


t't'iii;  no  Crtifs.  ''  "v""^ 


TH  E 


CIIlEFTAmS  OF  CIIAMPLilK 


-:<): 


A  Story  of  Adventure   ii\  tl\e   New   World. 


:i':- 


Wifh  Twentif-three  Illustrations. 


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■!'=J~l--Tt    r.  T^-'g,  -" 


BRARYorC|-IEAp\;C^^ 


1^ 


NEW  YORK: 
MICKEY  .t  CO..  "THE  VATICAN  LIBRARY"    *'' 

<  .^     11  BAECLAY  STREET.  .       , 


Entered  at  the  Sew  york  Post  Office  at  Second  C'as»  Itatee. 


?>. 


iV 


Aiiiiiitil  ?nbBcrlption  $5,  for  twenty-six  niimherg,  postage  paid. 


^^ 


THE  CHIEFTAInCoMIIAMPLAIN. 


A   TALE  OF  ADVENTURE  IN  THE  NEW  WORLD. 


CHAPTER  I. 

AN   ADVENTCBE   WITH   WOLVES. 

'Twas  on  the  26th  of  December,  in  the  year 
of  grace  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  ninety- 
six,  about  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  that  I 
met  with  the  happy  accident  which  was  des- 
tined to  change  the  course  of  my  life. 

I  was  snugly  ensconced  in  my  arm-chair 
close  by  the  fireside,  enjoying  the  cheerful 
warmth  of  the  bright  winter  fire,  when  a 
ringing  voice  smote  my  ear  from  the  foot  of 
the  staircase,  and  growing  in  distinctness  as  it 
came  nerrer,  admonished  me  that  Marion  and 
Beaupoil  were  about  to  enter  my  room. 

Marion  was  housekeeper,  maid  of  all  work 
and  cook.  Beaupoil  was  her  lieutenant,  hus- 
band and  yoke-fellow.  It  was  he  who  tended 
the  garden,  took  charge  of  the  horse,  spread 
the  manure,  peeled  the  carrots  and  onions, 
wrung  the  necks  of  the  fowl,  drove  the  cows 
to  pasture,  clipped  the  vine,  swept  the  kitchen 
and  the  stairs,  ran  of  errands,  went  on  market 
day  to  Tulle,  sowed,  mowed,  reaped  and  gath- 
ered the  com  into  the  granary ;  but  the  most 
purgatorial  of  his  multifarious  tasks  and  du- 
ties was  the  necessity  of  submitting  without 
reply  all  day  long  to  th*  commands,  the 
lamentations,  the  reproaches,  and  gossip  of 
Marion.  "Monsieur  le  Cure,"  he  would 
often  say  to  me,  "I  am  gomg  through  my 
purgatory  here  on  earth." 

Beaupoil  was  an  individual  of  medium 
height,  well  built,  his  hair  light  in  color,  his 
eyes  gray,  and  his  step  slow  and  lazy,  like 
that  of  a  cow  returning  at  evening  from  the 
pasture.  His  amiable  temper,  never  ruffed, 
would  have  done  credit  to  a  philosopher. 

Beaupoil  was  not  talkative;  as  a  rule  he 
preferred  silence,  having  observed,  with  the 
Arabs,  that  if  speech  is  silver,  silence  is  gold. 
Still,  when  pushed  almost  over  the  border  of 
patience,  he  would  at  times  shrug  his  shoul- 
ders, careful  withal  that  his  wife  did  not  see 
the  gesture,  for  he  was  not  a  whit  less  prudent 
than  phlegmatic.     However,  he  was  a  good 


sort  of  fellow.  He  had  married  my  house- 
keeper, who  was  thirteen  years  older  than  he, 
chiefly  because  she  made  good  soup. 

And  so  it  was  that,  having  Marion  already 
in  my  service,  I  was  obliged  to  take  at  first 
Beaupoil  and  afterward  his  mother,  the  aged 
Jeannette  Beaupoil,  without  counting  aa 
ancient  hunting  dog  she  had  adopted  nine 
years  before,  whose  spats  with  Marion's  cat 
kept  the  whole  presbytery  in  one  continued 
uproar. 

Despite  all  this,  I  was  as  happy  as  one  can 
be  in  this  valley  of  misery,  having  attained 
without  sickness  or  infirmity  the  ,age  of 
thirty-five  years,  pastor  of  the  parish  of 
Gimel,  near  Tulle,  in  the  department  of 
Limousin,  beloved  by  my  parishioners,  in 
amity  with  my  brethren  of  the  clergy  and  my 
bishop,  and  besides  a  cur^s  income  of  at 
least  five  himdred  crowns,  having  for  seven 
years  past,  through  the  demise  of  an  imcle,  a 
lawyer  at  Perigueux,  been  left  sole  heir  to  the 
nice  legacy  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  thou- 
sand French  livres. 

Now,  friendly  reader,  you  are  acquainted 
with  my  presbytery  and  its  inmates.  I,  ac- 
cordingly, return  to  the  loud  exclamations  of 
Marion,  which,  had  I  known  the  good  woman 
less,  might  have  occasioned  me  some  dis- 
quietude. 

"Oh,  miserable  man!"  she  cried,  as  she 
opened  the  door  of  my  room;  "there  was 
nothing  more  wanting  but  that.  'Tis  the  last 
drop  in  the  cup!" 

Then,  drawing  aside  a  little  on  the  corridor 
and  looking  at  the  luckless  Beaupoil,  who 
durst  not  show  himself : 

"You  could  not  leave  them  where  they 
were,  you  great,  big  simpleton !  But  M. 
Beaupoil  must  play  the  role  of  the  generous 
man.  Beaupoil  tenders  his  services — he  con- 
ducts people  into  Monsieur  le  Cure''s  house,  as 
if  it  were  his  own.  .  .  .  And  what  will 
you  give  them  to  eat,  I  ask  you  ?  Where  will 
they  sleep?  This  costs  you  nothing;  'tis  no 
trouble  or  expense  to  you.     It  is  Monsieur  le 


2 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


Cure  who  mnst  furaiHb  the  money;  I  must 
incur  the  trouble ;  but  you,  what  are  yon 
doing  here  ?  Answer,  sir  1  ...  Yes, 
answer  if  you  can  !" 

Here  I  interrupted  Marion's  tirade,  partly 
to  come  to  the  aid  of  hor  husband,  partly  to 
ascertain  the  cause  of  her  anger. 

"  ^Vhat  is  the  matter,  Beaupoil  ?" 
Then  he  advanced  to  the  centre  of  the  room 
and  said . 

' '  You  will  recollect.  Monsieur  Ic  Cure',  that 
you  (old  me  yesterday  to  catch  some  trout  at 
the  foot  of  the  cascade  of  Gimol,  and  that 
you  were  expecting  to-morrow  a  visit  from 
Monsieur  Taboumey,  the  King's  notary  at 
Tulle,  and  your  intimate  friend,  a  rare  con- 
noisseur. Knowing  that,  after  'Vesi)ers  and 
Benediction  I  took  my  hne  and  carefully 
descended  to  the  cascade.  It  was  no  easy 
task — even  in  summer  it  is  sUppery  on  those 
rocks ;  but  on  account  of  the  weather  of  yes- 
terday— partly  snowy  and  partly  frosty — I  had 
to  creep  on  all  foure.  At  last  I  reach  the 
bottom,  break  the  ice,  which  is  not  thick, 
and  cast  out  my  line  into  the  river.  Once 
.  .  .  twice  .  .  .  three  times.  ...  I  don't 
hook  even  a  gudgeon.  ...  I  fancy  I  am  be- 
witched." , 

' '  Come,  I  say,  let  us  pass  over  your  gud- 
geons, and  tell  me  what  happened. " 

' '  This,  Monsieur  le  Cure, "  rephed  Beaupoil. 
"At  the  very  last,  through  dint  of  casting 
my  line,  I  catch  some  gudgeons,  and  I  desire 
to  come  home..  But  lo!  the  night  is  at 
hand,  the  mist  is  spreading  from  Tulle  to 
Gimel,  and  the  snow  begins  to  fall  heavier 
than  ever.  I  bethink  myself:  'Beaupoil, 
if  you  try  to  return  the  way  you  came  hither, 
you  will  have  broken  bones.  The  first  fake 
step,  down  you'll  tumble  two  or  three  hun- 
dred feet,  and  you  shall  be  eaten  up  by  the 
gudgeons  you  had  prepared  yourself  to  eat.' 
But  I  forgot  to  say  my  dog  had  come  along 
with  me  and  watched  my  fishing.  Poor 
Fupiet  I  he  would  have  done  better  to  stay  at 
home  at  the  fireside.  But  what's  the  use  of 
talking;  his  hour  had  come." 

' '  What  happened  Fupiet  ?"  I  ask.  ' '  Where 
flid  you  leave  him  ?" 

' '  Ah !  monsieur,  where  you  or  I  shall  never 
go  after  him.  Poor,  poor  Fupiet!  The 
wolves  strangled  him,  monsieur,  and  carried 
him  off  under  my  eyes  into  the  woods ;  at  this 
moment  there  remain  only  his  bones,  nothing 
more! 

"  But  to  resume  my  story.  Fupiet,  seemg 
my  basket  full  of  trout,  anticipates  me,  goes 
first,  ever  and  anon  making  sharp  turns  and 
coming  back  now  and  then  to  ascertain  if  I 
was  following  him.     Carrying  as  I  was  the 


basket  and  tlie  fishing  tackle,  I  wu  moving 
along  more  slowly,  because  I  had  to  hang  on 
to  the  rocks,  trees  and  bushes,  to  escape  roll- 
ing into  the  abyss  below.  All  at  once,  as  I 
had  just  got  to  the  top  of  the  ascent,  I  noticed 
Fupiet  returning  to  me,  his  head  down,  his 
tail  curled  between  his  legs,  with  a  terrified 
look,  as  if  he  had  just  seen  something  fright- 
ful. .  .  .  Observing  that  Fupiet  was  afraid 
of  fjomebody  I  could  not  see,  I  grew  fearful 
in  turn,  and  remained  without  a  stir,  as  if 
rooted  to  the  spot,  for  throe  or  four  minutes. 
I  was  desirous  of  pxishing  ahead,  but  I  durst 
not ;  I  wanted  to  cry  out,  to  call  for  help.  I 
did  not  dare  to  do  it ;  and  I  saw  i)oor  Fupiet 
perishing  from  actual  teiTor  by  my  side.  .  .  . 
All  of  a  sudden  I  hear  at  a  distance  a  very 
soft  noise,  hke  the  tinkling  bells  of  several 
horses.  That  arouses  me.  I  say  to  myself: 
That  must  be  some  good  Christian  approach- 
ing, and  even  if  it  should  be  the  Turks,  one 
will  know  at  least  what  is  the  matter,  and 
what  we  have  to  contend  with.  .  .  .  Then 
my  voice  comes  back  and  I  cry  out,  'Courage, 
Fupiet !' 

"But  Fupiet  did  not  budge,  and  fixed  his 
e  /  es  upon  me.  .  .  .  Ah !  the  poor  beast,  they 
w  ere  sad  eyes  which  prayed  to  me,  as  if  I  had 
been  anxious  to  drive  liim  on  to  death.  .  .  . 
Then,  in  order  that  I  may  have  my  armt. 
free,  I  put  between  the  dog's  teeth  the  basket 
of  ti'out,  I  carry  my  line  on  my  left  shoulder 
as  if  I  were  about  to  cast  it  into  the  river,  and 
I  march  first  in  line.  Ten  feot  distant,  at  the 
turn  of  the  path,  what  do  I  see  ?  .  .  .  A  pair 
of  blazing  eyes  glowering  upon  me,  as  if 
eager  to  swallow  me  up.  A  huge  wolf  who 
was  lying  in  wait  for  us." 

"  Ah ! "  sighed  Marion,  ' '  a  wolf ! " 

"Yes,  a  genuine  wolf,"  reiterated  Beaupoil, 
' '  and  not  alone  either.  His  whole  family  was 
with  him,  for  there  to  the  right  and  the  left 
of  the  way  stood  more  than  ten  of  them,  the 
great  monster  alone  facing  me  as  if  to  say: 
'You  shall  not  pass  here.'" 

"You  must  have  been  very  much  afraid, 
my  poor  Beaupoil,"  Marion  remarked. 

"No,  not  much,"  rejoined  Beaupoil,  with 
simpUcity.  "I  knew  then  what  stopped 
Fupiet.  Do  you  see,  monsieur,  I  am  afraid 
of  the  white  wolf.  *  Yes,  'tis  true,  because  I 
don't  know  clearly  what  it  is  and  have  never 
seen  it ;  but  for  real  wolves  and  men,  I  know 
what  they  are;  so  I  fear  them  not." 

"Did  you  have  a  gun?"  I  inquired. 

"No,  Monsieur  le  Cure';  and  I  regret  that. 
However,  I  looked  at  the  wolves  without  say- 
ing a  syllable,  and  the  wolves  looked  at  me. 

*A  ghostly  wolf  much  feared  by  the  French 
peasants  of  certain  districts. 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  CHAMPLAIN. 


I  wM  mnrfng.  During  thiR  panBe  two  or 
throe  of  tho  vicioua  thieves  I  had  not  before 
Boticed  wore  wheeling  around  bo  as  to  get  to 
the  rear  of  my  position.  Ah  I  monsieur,  it 
\?«fl  a  flight  to  Bee— my  countenance  and 
theirs.  The  old  wolf  especially,  the  largest 
of  all  of  thorn,  as  one  might  call  him  tho  head 
cf  the  family,  wore  an  air  of  serene  gravity 
and  doubtless  had  an  appetite  calculated  to 
csTViG  terror." 

All  at  once  Marion,  who  was  growing  im- 
patient, inquired:  "Monsieur  le  Cure',  how 
many  covers  shall  bo  placed  for  supper?" 

•'As  many  as  Beaupoil  shall  desire,  Marion, 
for  it  is  he  who  has  given  the  invitations." 
•   "Vroll,"  said  Beaupoil,   "put  two  on  the 
tablo  beside  Monseur  le  Cur(?'8  and  a  third  in 
the  kitchen  for  the  postillion.     To  conclude 


turn ;  fortunately  the  dog  wore  a  fine  oollat 
with  sharp  points,  which  broke  the  wolfs 
jaw  in  two. 

"The  man  Tms  closely  following  his  dog. 
Ah !  what  a  man,  Monsieur  le  Cure'  1  Six  feet 
high  at  least,  and  shoulders  to  support  a 
house.  With  that,  slender  of  limb  like  a 
deer,  and  strong  and  daring,  a  man  who  foars 
not  to  risk  hi^  life  for  his  neighbor.  For  the 
rest,  you  BhaU  see  him  presently.  He  was 
running  toward  me,  gun  in  hand,  a?id  making 
terrible  strides.  At  three  feet  distance  he 
halts,  tires  at  a  wolf,  and  stretches  the  brute 
stark  dead  in  the  snow.  One  of  the  pack 
tries  to  bite  him  in  the  leg ;  he  kills  it  with  a 
back  sweep  of  his  gun.  .  .  And  all  this  with- 
out a  word,  except  'Ho!  PhcebuH!!  ho!  my 
good  dog ! '  to  encourage  the  Newfoundland, 


'oh,  misebable  man!"  she  ckied. 


my  story,  perceiving  that  the  old  wolf  was 
about  to  spring  on  Fupiet  or  myself  and  that 
the  others  would  follow  his  example,  I  pick 
up  my  Une  in  my  right  hand  and  hurl  it  at 
him  as  if  he  were  a  trout  or  a  pike.  In  the 
twinkle  of  an  eye,  the  wolf  found  himself 
caught  in  the  snare  and  began  to  bellow  and 
roar  in  a  way  to  make  the  hair  stand  on  the 
head  of  even  a  bald  man.  His  whole  family, 
observing  his  condition,  sprang  upon  Fupiet. 
Immediately  I  hear  a  man's  voice  halloing  at 
about  thirty  paces  distance:  'Courage, 
friend ;  hold  on !  we  shall  be  with  you  in  a 
second!  Ho!  Phoebus,  ho!  my  good  dog,  at 
him !  at  him ! '  At  the  same  moment  I  saw  a 
gteat  Newfoimdland  dog,  black  and  white, 
spring  at  a  bound  into  the  centre  of  the  path, 
seize  by  the  throat  one  of  the  wolves,  which 
WBB  already  holding  me  by  the  blouse,  and 
strangle  him  with  his  teeth.  Another  of  the 
wolves  tried  to  seize  the  Newfotmdiand  in  his 


and  also  at  intervals,  'This  way,  1*>.U««kt 
this  way!' 

"Toward  the  close  of  the  scene,  thai  U  two 
minutes  arter.  Master  Patrick  came  aiong,  .  . 
A  fine  gentleman,  too ;  but  he  does  not  pos- 
sess the  mien  of  the  other,  although  (I  mupt 
be  just  .  .  .)  he  has  done  me  a  good  service, 
for  ho  killed  one  of  tho  wolves  with  two  shots 
of  his  pistol  and  broke  the  jaw  of  buother 
that  took  to  his  heels  howling.  The  rest  of 
the  pack,  seeing  that  there  was  nothing  to  be 
gained,  followed  in  his  track,  carrying  away 
with  them  poor  Fupiet  half  devoured.  Phoe- 
bus wanted  to  chase  them ;  but  the  gentleman, 
(for  he  is  one,  I  am  sure  of  that)  called  him 
back.  Then  I  desired  to  thank  him.  He 
interrupted  me  to  inquire : 

"  '  What  is  your  name?' 

"  '  Beaupoil,  sir,  at  your  service.' 

"  'Are  we  far  from  Tulle?' 

" '  More  than  two  leagues.' 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


'"Can  you  condact  us  thither  this  even- 
ing?' 

"  'To-morrow  morning,  sir,  with  pleasure; 
but  to-night  there  are  three  feet  of  snow  on 
the  mountain ;  the  road  is  not  good  even  in 
mimmer,  but  in  winter  it  is  no  longer  visible. 
There  will  be  no  moon  to-night  and  we  shall 
fall  into  some  pit  or  hole.  .  .  But  if  you 
are  willing  to  come  with  me  as  far  as  Gimel, 
Monsieur  le  Cure'  will  be  very  glad  to  see  and 
have  you  sup  with  him.  My  wife  Marion, 
who  is  his  cook,  will  do  her  best  to  satisfy 
you,  and  I,  whom  you  have  just  plucked  out 
of  the  wolves'  jaws,  I — ' 

"Then  he  said  to  his  companion:  'Well, 
Patrick,  what  do  you  think  about  it?  Will 
you  sup  at  the  Cure'  of  Gimel's?' 

" '  Yes,  yes,  I  will,'  replied  Master  Patrick. 

"The  tall  one  then  said  to  me : 

"  'Go  before  us,  Beaupoil.  We  will  go  after 
the  postilh'on  and  the  horses  we  left  at  three 
hundred  paces  from  here  when  we  rushed  to 
your  succor.' 

"  'But,  monsieur,  do  you  know  the  road?' 

"'Phcebus  will  recognize  it  easily  and 
point  it  out  to  us.' 

"Thereupon,  I  came  to  apprise  you  of 
their  approach,  and  to  tell  Marion  to  prepare 
supper.     Marion  would  not  listen  to  me." 

"Well,"  cried  Marion,  "who  could  have 
thought  that  Beaupoil  had  almost  been  eaten 
up  by  the  wolves?" 

At  the  same  moment  there  was  a  knock  at 
the  hall  door  and  Marion  sped  down  to  open 
it.  I  followed  close  after  her  with  Beaupoil 
and  stood  in  the  presence  of  my  guests. 

Beaupoil  had  not  said  a  word  too  much. 
Although  the  door  of  my  house  was  large  and 
high,  the  traveller  who  crossed  the  threshold 
first  seemed  to  me  almost  as  tall  and  big  as  the 
entrance.  Everything  in  the  man  was  strange 
and  attractive;  his  sun-bronzed  complexion 
rendered  ruddy  by  the  action  of  snow  and 
the  cold  air ;  eyes  green  as  ocean's  depths, 
the  glance  of  which  could,  suiting  the  occa- 
sion, be  either  smiling  or  terrible;  his  nose 
thin  and  straight  as  a  sword's  blade;  his  chest 
large  Uke  that  of  the  famous  Bohemond, 
Prince  of  Tarentum  and  Antioch;  a  bright 
bold  countenance;  and  a  voluminous  over- 
dress consisting  of  furs  so  fine  and  rare  that  I 
have  never  seen  anything  like  them,  which 
he  wore  with  all  the  haughty  nonchalance  of 
a  great  lord. 

Upon  entering  he  held  forth  his  hand  and 
said:  "Monsieur  le  Cure',  excuse  me  for 
coming  to  beg  your  hospitaUty." 

"Sir,"  I  repUed,  "after  the  service  you 
have  just  rendered  my  poor  Beaupoil,  I  am 
too  happy  to   receive    you.     My   house    is 


yours ;  but  that  is  a  trifle.  At  Gimel  we  are 
far  away  from  everything  and  I  fear  ooz 
supper — " 

"Tis  true,  indeed,"  said  Marion,  adjusting 
her  saucepan.  ' '  Wo  have  nothing  flue  to-day. 
Still,  we  shall  receive  you  not  according  to 
your  merits,  but  according  to  our  means  " 

During  this  interchange  of  compUmenta 
Beaupoil  and  the  postillion  led  the  horses  to 
the  stable  and  the  second  traveler  entered 
the  house. 

"Monsieur  le  Cure',"  said  the  taller  man, 
"I  have  the  honor  of  presenting  to  you 
Gerald  Fitzgerald,  Earl  of  Kildnre,  legiti- 
mate descendant  of  the  Kings  of  Ireland, 
banished  from  his  coimtry  by  the  usurper, 
WilUam  of  Orange,  for  his  fldeUty  to  the 
Catholic  faith  and  to  King  James  the  Second. 
He  is  a  captain  in  the  French  service  and  my 
intimate  friend." 

I  gave  my  hand  to  Lord  Kildare.  ' '  For 
me,"  continued  the  other,  "I  am  Louis 
of  Montluc,  great-grand-nephew  of  the  cele- 
brated Blaise  of  Montluc,  who  was  a  French 
marshal.  My  father.  Baron  Hannibal,  head 
of  a  cadet  branch  of  the  family,  is  lord  of 
Montluc  Tower,  in  panada,  and  lawful  owner 
of  a  himting-ground  one  hundred  leagues 
long  and  twenty-five  wide  on  the  banks  of 
Lake  Erie." 

"And  I,"  said  I  in  my  turn,  "I  am  the  Cvai 
Lefranc,  of  Gimel,  one  of  the  poorest  parishes 
in  the  whole  diocese,  but  in  one  of  the  finest 
countries  in  the  world  if  you  love  books,  soh- 
tude,  mountains,  great  dense  woods,  cascades, 
and  your  parishioners.  And  now  that  we  are 
acquainted,  gentlemen,  here  is  your  room. 
When  you  will  be  ready,  Marion,  we'll  be 
ready  too;  and  we  shall  take  supper." 

7Ialf  an  hour  later  we  sat  down  to  table,  all 
three. 

Marion  had  surpassed  herself.  Everything 
was  charming,  pastries,  venison,  fowl,  flsh, 
side-dishes;  everything  was  cooked  to  a  turn 
and  in  a  way  to  gratify  the  irritable  self-love 
of  my  servant. 

If,  reader,  you  are  astonished  that  a  coun- 
try cure  away  in  the  depths  of  Bas-Limousin, 
in  one  of  the  poorest  parishes  of  the  diocese 
of  Tulle,  was  able  to  offer  two  hungry  trav- 
elers in  mid-winter,  a  supper  which  would 
not  have  been  unworthy  of  his  bishop,  you 
must  recall  the  fact  that  I  was  expecting  the 
next  evening  the  visit  of  Monsieur  Taboumey, 
who  commonly  brought  with  him  two  or 
three  gentlemen  of  the  chase  with  great 
appetites  like  himself;  that  hospitality  is  the 
sweetest  of  innocent  pleasures,  and  lastly  that 
Marion,  apprised  of  their  expected  arrival,  had 
already  prepared  two    cold  pate's,    one    of 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


THS  PBIE8T  WELCOMES  BIS  QUESTS. 


hare  and  a  second  of  venison,  without  reckon- 
ing a  stewed  tiirkey,  which  was  the  triumph 
of  her  art,  and  some  other  minor  details. 

Add,  moreover,  that  Marion  had  a  band  as 
ready  as  her  tongue;  that,  like  Caesar,  who 
could  dictate,  they  say,  four  dispatches  at  a 
tine  to  as  nuuay  diiferent  secretaries,  she  could 


operate  at  once  on  two  pans  and  five  sauce- 
pans, fill  the  one  with  butter,  the  other  with 
grease,  put  them  all  together  on  the  fire,  beat 
the  eggs,  powder  the  salt  and  pepper,  roll 
out  the  dough,  melt  the  lard,  mince  the  meat, 
season  it,  sugar  it,  salt  it,  pepper  it,  dash  all 
roood  nutmeg,    thyme,    p^Bley,  taste   the 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  OHAMPLAIN. 


■anoe,  add  a  little  butter,  water  or  flour, 
wanh  the  veasela  with  a  loud  noise,  pile  up  the 
platcH  one  upon  the  other  as  if  vhey  were  of 
iron  and  not  ohinaware,  scour  pots  and 
kettles,  wipe  them,  shed  a  few  tears  by  way 
of  change,  quarrel  with  her  mother-in-law,  old 
Jeannotte,  administer  a  kick  to  the  dog,  a 
blow  of  the  broomstick  to  the  cat,  a  sharp 
lash  of  the  tongue  to  poor  Beaupoil,  her  hus- 
band, and  drive  every  one  except  me  to  dis- 
traction. 

You  will  imderstand  that  with  such  a 
woman  and  such  a  preparation  supper  was 
immediately  served. 

CHAPTER  II. 

HOW  BABOM  HANNIBAL  MONTLtJO  FOUND  OCT  THE 
WAT  TO  SEBVE  THE  KINO  OF  FRANCE  AND  MAKE 
HIS  OWN  FORTUNE. 

If  the  Baron  Montluc  and  his  fellow-travel- 
er had,  from  the  very  first,  appeared  to  me 
to  be  gentlemen  of  high  birth,  that  impression 
was  greatly  heightened  when  they  emerged 
from  their  room,  after  having  laid  aside  their 
fur  mantles. 

The  Baron  was  magnificently  attired,  but 
after  the  fashion  of  the  age  of  the  late  regent, 
Anne  of  Austria.  His  sword,  which  he  placed 
aside  in  a  comer  as  he  prepared  to  take  a  seat, 
was  a  long,  large  rapier  of  the  IGth  century, 
the  handle  exquisitely  chiseled  by  a  pupil  of 
the  celebrated  Benvenuto  Cellini.  The  sword- 
belt  of  buffalo  leather,  was  fastened  with  a 
clasp  of  the  purest  gold,  in  which  sparkled  a 
diamond  of  inestimable  value.  The  buttons 
of  his  dress-coat  were  of  the  same  precious 
metal  as  the  clasp  and  were  worth,  at  least, 
a  hundred  livres  apiece.  As  to  his  lace  neck- 
tie, I  doubt  if  that  worn  by  the  King  of 
France  could  have  borne  a  comparison  with 
it.  But  all  that  external  adornment  was 
nothing  beside  the  look  of  nobility,  simplicity 
and  courage  of  the  young  gentleman. 

The  Earl  of  Eildare,  his  companion,  wore 
the  uniform  of  the  regiment  of  the  Boyal- 
Irish,  which  had  passed  over  to  the  service  of 
Louis  XrV.,  in  1690,  after  the  battle  of  the 
Boyne.  He,  too,  was  a  noble-looking  gentle- 
man ;  but  although  dressed  in  the  latest  court 
fashion,  Marion,  Beaupoil  and  myself  had  eyes 
but  for  one  object,  and  that  was  the  Baron 
Moatiuo. 

About  the  middle  of  supper,  when  the  ap- 
petites of  my  guests  were  somewhat  appeased, 
the  Baron  filled  our  glasses  and  proposed  my 
health — an  honor  I  hastened  to  accept  and 
recognize  by  signing  to  Beaupoil  to  bring  us 
two  bottles  of  my  best  Burgundy. 

As  the  Baron  raised  his  glass  to  drink  with 
me,  I  was  struck  with  admiration  by  a  mar- 


velonsly  carved  ring  on  his  right  hand,  upon 
which  were  engraved  these  words:  Ego  et 
Bex  (I  and  the  King).  He  observed  my  gaze 
and  passing  the  ring  to  me  that  I  might  have 
a  closer  view  of  it,  said : 

"This  legend  or  device  is  my  father's.  The 
diamond,  round  which  it  was  engraved, 
formerly  belonged  to  the  famous  Mar(piis  of 
Guast,  a  general  of  the  Spanish  army,  who 
was  vanquished  at  Cerisoles  in  ir>44.  Toward 
the  close  of  that  battle  my  great-ancestor, 
BlaiKc  of  Montluc,  resolved  to  captu~o  him  if 
possible,  having  sworn  to  seize  and  lead  him 
to  the  gallows,  because  that  disloyal  knight 
had  caused  the  assassination,  at  a  time  of  per- 
feet  peace,  of  a  French  ambassador ;  but  the 
Marquis,  mounted  on  a  Barbary  coursev, 
famed  for  its  fleetness,  swept  over  fence  and 
ditch  at  a  galop,  and  as  Montluc  was  hot  in 
pursuit  and  already  crying  out  to  the  fugitive : 
'  Face  around.  Marquis,  face  around,  or  I 
shall  shoot  you  in  the  back,'  the  Marquis  still 
fleeing,  dropped  his  hat,  the  clasp  of  which 
was  ornamented  with  the  diamond  you  see. 
At  this  sight  my  great-uncle  dismounted, 
picked  up  the  hat,  kept  the  diamond  and  had 
it  mounted  in  gold  with  the  legend  you  see, 
which  is  that  of  my  family,  for  the  Montlucs 
have  never  recognized  op  earth  other  com- 
mand  than  that  of  the  king." 

"And  yet,"  interposed  the  Irishman  with 
a  laugh,  ' '  the  king  is  not  always  master,  wit- 
ness the  day  your  father,  with  a  troop  of 
cavalry,  missed  carrying  him  away  forcibly 
over  the  bridge  of  Gien,  with  the  Regent  and 
the  whole  Court." 

"These  are  old  stories,"  rejoined  the  Baron, 
"  and  my  father  paid  dear  for  the  pleasure  of 
causing  the  Kings  of  France  and  Spain  suc- 
cessively to  tremble,  and  of  crossing  swords 
with  the  Great  Condd.  His  plans  were  ten 
times  within  a  hair's-breadth  of  miscarrying." 

And  as  I  was  curious  to  know  more,  ha 
resumed : — 

"Monsieur  le  Cure,  these  things  are  old; 
still,  if  you  will  kindly  promise  to  have  our 
horses  ready  to  start  at  daybreak  to-morrow 
morning,  I  shall,  with  g^reat  pleasure,  tell  yon 
the  story." 

I  gave  directions  to  Beaupoil,  who,  stand- 
ing erect,  with  napkin  in  hand,  was  listening 
with  the  liveliest  attention  to  the  discourse  of 
my  guests. 

"Well,  'twas  thus."  said  the  Baron: 

"About  the  year  1661,  the  Prince,  now  de- 
ceased, he  who  for  distinction's  sake  was 
called  the  Great  Conde,  spoke  insulting  words 
in  the  assemblage  of  Grandees  at  the  Louvre 
of  Cardinal  Mazarin,  the  first  minister,  whom 
he  hated.    Some  days  after  the  Prince  was 


THE  OHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAHPLAIK. 


apprahended.  As  bood  as  this  news  was 
spread  a  large  number  of  nobles  and  gentle- 
men armed  themselves  to  deliver  the  Prince, 
and  among  them  was  my  father. 

"Accordingly,  my  father,  indignant  that 
the  Begent  and  the  Minister  (a  Spaniard  and 
an  Italian)  should  have  arrested  the  first 
prince  of  the  blood,  raised  at  his  own  expense 
a  troop  of  cavalry  to  the  cry  of  'Long  live  the 
King!  Long  live  Uonde!  Baicn  with 
Maearin;^  surprised  tho  King's  troops  at  the 
pasHoge  of  the  Loire  and  put  a  large  portion 
of  them  to  flight.  If  Turenne,  pressing  on 
in  all  haste  with  the  other  portion  of  the  army, 
had  not  renewed  the  fight,  my  father  on  that 
day  would  have  placed  the  crown  on  the  brow 
of  the  Great  Conde." 
I  could  not  contain  myself. 
"Monseiur  le  Baron,  that  would  have  been 
a  grave  crime." 

' '  Do  you  think  so,  Father  ?  "  said  the  Baron ; 
"still,  if  it  was  a  crime,  my  father  suffered  for 
it,  as  you  shall  see.  The  first  day  so  satisfied 
was  the  Prince  with  my  father's  deeds  that  he 
embraced  him  before  the  whole  army,  and 
swore  that  Hannibal  of  Montluc  was  the  most 
valiant  gentleman  in  France,  and  his  own  best 
friend.  A  month  later  an  envoy  was  seen  ar- 
riving at  the  camp  from  the  King  of  Spain, 
and  people  spoke  of  a  treaty  on  foot  to  de- 
liver  up  two  provinces  to  Spain.  My  father 
went  straight  to  the  Prince  and  said  to  him 
before  fifty  gentlemen : 

"  'My  lord,  it  is  reported  that  you  have 
promised  to  hand  over  two  provinces  to  the 
Spanish  King,  as  the  price  of  his  alliance.  . 
.     .     Is  this  ^ru8  ?'    .     .     . 

' '  The  Priuce,  haughty  and  impetuous  as  he 
was,  replied  to  him :  '  What  concern  of  yours 
is  it,  Montluc  ?  Have  you  the  right  to  ques- 
tion my  actions  ? ' 

"  'It  so  much  concerns  me,'  said  my 
father,  '  that  if  you  decline  to  answer  I  will 
cause  the  bugle  to  sound  my  men  to  boot  and 
saddle,  and  I  will  depart  with  my  regiment." 
Cond^,  who  became  furious,  shouted  to  him : 
'  Traitor  I  You  are  about  to  rejoin  Mazarin  I ' 
To  which  my  father  rejoined:  'My  lord, 
there  never  was  a  traitor  in  the  family  of 
Montluc ;  but  the  Constable  of  Bourbon,  who 
was  willing  to  deliver  the  French  kingdom  to 
Charles  the  Fifth,  was  your  grand-uncle.' 
At  these  worda  Conde  drew  his  sword.  My 
father  followed  suit,  and  they  crossed  swords. 
The  nobles  present  separated  them,  and  my 
father  takes  to  horse,  withdraws  his  regiment, 
and  returns  to  his  domains  in  Perigord." 
"Well,  my  lord,  he  was  right  that  time." 
"You  think  so,  my  dear  Father?  Well, 
hear  the  sequ^     A  jear  later,  the  King,  the 


Queen  and  the  Minister  having  re-entered 
Paris,  my  father,  who  was  leading  a  peaceful 
country  life,  cultivating  his  vines,  was  in- 
formed that  the  Parliament  of  Bordeaux  was 
enjoined  to  iu<iuue  into  his  affairs  and  pro- 
ceed against  him.  At  this  news  he  bestirred 
himself.  He  saddled  his  best  steed,  put  two 
pairs  of  pistols  in  his  holsterH,  sixty  thousand 
gold  livres  in  his  pockets,  summoned  around 
him  ten  or  twelve  of  the  bravest  soldiers  of 
his  old  regiment,  all  staunch  Gascons  or  Peri- 
gordiauH,  and  said  to  them :  'My  friends,  the 
King  is  after  us.  You  are  to  be  suspended  from 
a  tree  or  serve  him  in  the  galleys.  I  am  to 
have  my  head  cut  off.  It  seems  we  were 
wrong  in  fighting  for  Conde  against  Mazarin, 
and  Conde'  is  not  the  strongest  power.  Will 
you  await  the  execution  in  your  dwellings  or 
follow  me  ? ' 

"AH  exclaimed  that  they  would  follow  him. 
My  father  added :  '  The  French  Kingdom  is 
the  King'H ;  the  sea  is  the  prize  of  the  bravest. 
So  let  us  be  Kings  on  sea  as  he  is  in  his 
Louvre.  Forward ! '  After  which,  without  a 
moment's  loss,  while  the  officers  of  the  law 
were  looking  for  him  on  the  Bordeaux  side, 
he  took  the  Rochelle  road,  purchased  a  brig 
of  ten  guns,  fortified  it  with  three  hundred 
small  pieces,  with  a  like  number  of  pikes 
and  boarding-hatchets,  enrolled  for  his  crew 
twenty  hardy  sailors,  and  declared  his  pur- 
pose to  wage  war  on  the  King  of  Spain,  who 
for  twenty  years  previously  had  been  fighting 
with  the  King  of  France.  As  he  was  wind- 
ing up  his  final  preparations  and  raising  the 
anchor  with  his  ship's  crew,  he  learned  that 
the  Parliament  of  Bordeaux,  upon  the  requis- 
ition of  the  Attorney  General,  had  just  con- 
demned  him  to  death  and  confiscated  all  his 
goods;  to  which,  of  his  own  proper  motion 
(of  his  grace,  as  the  provincial  attorney  of 
Saintonje  would  put  it^  his  Majesty,  King 
Louis  XIV,  had  vouchsafed  to  append  an 
order  setting  a  price  upon  my  father's  head, 
offering  twenty  thousand  crowns  to  the  person 
who  shoidd  deliver  him  up  dead  or  alive. 

"My  father  declared  he  had  learned,  with 
grief,  about  the  price  with  which  his  Majesty 
wished  to  reward  his  services ;  that  he  hoped 
time  would  open  his  Majesty's  eyes,  sooner  or 
later,  and  demonstrate  to  him  that  he  never 
had  a  more  faithful  and  devoted  servant  than 
Haimibal  of  Montluc ;  and  that  while  awaiting 
the  inevitable  return  of  his  Majesty  to  senti- 
ments more  in  accordance  with  his  usual 
sense  of  equity,  he  was  about  to  put  to  sea 
and  chastise  upon  all  the  waters  all  his 
Majesty's  enemies;  that  he  thought,  never- 
thelesB,  be  ought  to  warn  those  who  had  pro- 
cured his  sentence  of  death,  uot  to  coma 


8 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


wthin  his  reach,  lest  he  might  cut  off  their 
CUTS,  as  he  had  sworn  he  would  do  so. 

"Do  you  wish  to  know  how  my  father  kept 
his  promise  and  waged  war  on  the  King's 
ficemies?  I  shall  cite  but  one  instance.  It 
^Till  give  an  idea  of  others.  .  .  . 

"Oue  evening,  at  sunset,  as  he  was  sailing 
along,  a  hundred  leagues  from  Cadiz;  he  saw 
approacliing  him  a  Spanish  ship  from  the 
Indies,  which  was  transporting  to  the  Spanish 
King  the  tribute  of  Mexico  and  Peru,  that  is 
to  say,  eighty  millions  of  gold  and  silver  in 
bars  or  coined  money.  Twelve  men  of  war 
were  escorting  this  precious  treasure,  and  the 
galleon,  broad  and  clumsy-looking,  was  slowly 
advancing  in  the  centre  of  this  fleet  with  a 
majesty  truly  royal.  What  a  capture,  if  it 
could  only  be  seized !  And  what  a  loss  to  the 
King  of  Spain  with  whom  France  was  still  at 
war !  My  father  did  not  hesitate.  He  waited 
for  the  night  which,  by  good  luck,  was  moon- 
less and  almost  starless,  took  advantage  of  the 
careless  watch  of  the  Spaniards,  glided  noise- 
lessly and  without  lighting  his  fires  alongside 
the  galleon,  and  about  midnight  gave  all  of  a 
sudden  the  signal  to  board  her.  The  officer 
on  watch,  being  startled,  had  only  time  to  fire 
two  pistol  shots  before  he  was  hurled  over- 
board with  four  sailors.  Tht  '-est  of  the  crew, 
surprised  in  sleep  and  without  arms,  were 
forced  to  surrender  and  confined  between 
tlecks.  It  was  the  work  of  three  miniites.  At 
the  same  time  the  other  Spanish  vessels  ap- 
prised, by  the  uprr/ar  and  cries,  of  the  calamity 
which  had  just  befallen  them,  approached  the 
galleon  to  retake  her.  My  father,  although 
victorious,  was  never  in  a  greater  danger.  At 
this  moment  the  Spanish  Admiral,  Don  Carlos. 
Marquis  of  Santa  Cruz,  who  was  in  command 
of  the  fleet,  summoned  him  to  surrender  if  he 
did  not  choose  to  be  hanged  like  a  pirate  from 
the  loftiest  spar  of  the  galleon. 

'* '  Marquis  I '  answered  my  father  through 
his  speaking-trumpet,  '  you  shall  one  day  pay 
dear  for  that  insolent  speech  of  yours.  For 
to-night  let  us  converse  politely  as  befits  two 
gentlemen.  You  think  you  have  me,  and  that 
would  l)e  near  the  tnith  if  you  were  doing 
business  with  any  other  person  than  a  Mont- 
luc,'  for  you  are  twenty  against  one ;  but  I 
liGve  possession  of  the  heart  and  soul  of  the 
King  of  Spain,  that  is  to  say,  his  milUons. 
We  are  then  at  each  other's  disposal  or  be- 
hests.    Now,  here  is  the  treaty  I  propose.' 

"At  the  word  treaty,  the  moustache  of  the 
haughty  Carlos  bristled  terribly  like  that  i.i  i* 
tiger  in  its  fury:  *I  have  no  commission,' 
«aud  he,  'to  treat  with  the  enemies  of  the 
King,  my  master,  but  only  to  bang  them.' 
And  tnmmg  to  his  flag-captain,  be  was  about 


to  give  the  signal  for  the  combat,  when  my 
father  observed : 

"  'Marquis,  you  are  wrong  in  not  hearken- 
ing to  me.  You  will  regret  it  instantly.  How 
many  millions  had  you  in  this  galleon  ? ' 

' ' '  How  does  that  concern  you,  my  Lord  of 
Monthic  ? '  rejoined  Santa  Cruz. 

"  'More  than  you  think.  Marquis.  These 
millions  are  mine  and  my  brave  friends'  by 
the  right  of  war  and  conquest ;  but  if  you  are 
wise,  if  you  are  prudent,  if  you  faithfully  and 
carefully  watch  the  interests  of  the  King  of 
Spain,  your  august  master,  I  will  yield  to 
you  one  half  or  a  moiety  of  all  I  have,  on 
condition  that  I  shall  be  permitted  to  withdraw 
in  safety  and  set  sail  for  San  Domingo.' 

' ' '  Surrender ! '  cried  the  Spaniard. 

"Then,  my  father  caused  the  barrels  of 
gold  and  silver  to  be  borne  on  deck. 

"'If  they  fire  upon  us,'  cried  he,  'if  a 
single  man  of  mine  is  killed  or  wounded,  I 
shall  cause  these  barrels  to  be  dashed  over- 
board, and  if  an  attempt  at  boarding  us  be 
made,  I  shall  blow  up  the  whole  ship.' 

"'Fire!'  exclaimed  Santa  Cruz.  Sixty 
Spanish  balls  simultaneously  bored  the  ship's 
side  and  broke  down  the  mainmast. 

"At  the  same  moment,  for  the  two  vessels 
were  not  more  than  thirty  paces  distant, 
twenty  musket  shots  issued  at  once  from  the 
gallaon  and  brought  down  on  board  the  ad- 
miral's vessel  five  or  six  Spaniards. 

' ' '  Now,  cast  overboard  two  of  their  barrels^' 
ordered  my  father.  And  as  his  crew  was  hesitat- 
ing, eyeing  them  wistfully,  he  added :  '  Com- 
rades, don't  regret  them ;  it  is  the  share  of  the 
King  of  Spain ;  ours  is  still  untoiiched. '  Then, 
giviug  the  example  himself,  he  took  one  of 
the  two  barrels  and  threw  it  into  the  sea.  At 
this  sight  Don  Carlos  caused  the  firing  to  be 
suspended,  and  shouted  again  through  his 
trumpet :  '  Surrender,  Montluc !  I  pledge 
you  my  word  of  a  Castillian  noble,  that  you 
will  suffer  no  harm,  any  more  than  your 
men.' 

' '  My,  father  replied : 

"'Manpiis,  I  believe  in  year  pledge;  in 
turn  trust  in  mine.  The  galleon  is  mine  with 
all  its  precious  contents.  Actuated  by  a  spirit 
of  generosity,  I  consent  to  share  with  the 
King  of  Spain ;  but  if  he  wants  all  he  shall 
not  have  a  single  small  crown.  Don't  be 
misled  then,  but  be  persuaded,  if  yon  don't 
choose  to  reduce  his  Majesty,  the  CatnoUc 
King,  to  the  condition  of  a  beggar  from  all 
the  bankers  in  Europe.' 

"The  proud  CastiUian  heaved  a  profound 
sigh,  and  said :  '  If  it  were  but  my  own  affair, 
Baron  of  Montluc,  I  should  founder  you  at 
once,  though  all  the  treasures  of  India  and 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  CHAMPLAIN. 


••t,!!»/ 


-^!'*THBN,  GIVING  THB  BXAHFLE,  HE  TOOK  ONB  OF  THE  TWO  BAKKELa  AND  TUKEVV  IT  INTO  TlOt  8BA." 


America  should  go  down  with  you ;  but  who 
knows  what  his  Majesty  would  think  of  it? 
Draw  up  your  conditions,  since  it  must  be, 
and  I  have  lived  long  enough  to  see  the 
Spanish  navy  compelled  to  enter  iipon  terms 
of  treaty  with  a  corsair.' 

"At  this  word  my  father  replied: 

"' Kather  elegant,  Marquis.  This  corsair  is 


sprung  from  as  noble  an  ancestry  as  all  the 
Santa  Cruzes;  besides,  he  is  an  officer  of  the 
King  of  France,  as  you  are  of  the  King  of 
Spain.  .  .  .  But  since  you  ask  for  my 
conditions,  here  they  are: — 

' ' '  Between  Baron  Hannibal  of  Hontluc, 
Oommandant  of  the  Ego  et  Rex,  in  the  service  of 
his  Majesty  the  King  of  France,  and  Mar- 


10 


T]flE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAJUPLAIN. 


qniB  G*rio8  of  Santa  Oraz,  Admiral  of  the 
fleet  of  the  King  of  Spain,  the  following 
articles  of  agreement  have  been  entered 
npon: 

' ' '  First  Article.  — The  brave  men  \mder  Bar- 
on Hannibal  of  Montluc's  command  and  the  said 
Baron  agree  to  yield  up  and  surrender  to  the 
King  of  Spain  a  moiety  of  the  sum  of  money 
won  through  their  bravery,  that  is  to  say, 
forty  millions. 

"  'Second  Article. — From  this  sum  so  given 
to  the  Spanish  Sovereign  must  be  deducted  the 
two  barrels  heretofore  thrown  overboard  in 
consequence  of  the  obstinacy  of  the  Admiral 
Santa  Cruz,  and  containing  each  a  million 
French  livres  in  fine  gold  money  and  Mexican 
dollars. 

' ' '  Third  Article.  — To  ensure  the  faithful  and 
speedy  execution  of  the  two  previous  articles, 
the  Marquis  of  Santa  Cruz,  in  the  Admiral's 
ship  Santiago,  will  escort  with  all  his  fleet 
the  Baron  of  Montluc  aboard  his  brig  the  Ego 
et  Hex,  which  will  carry  the  barrels  contain- 
ing all  the  gold  and  silver  on  board  the  gal- 
leon. The  Baron  and  the  Marquis  contract 
to  travel  alongside  each  other  with  a  good 
understanding  in  the  direction  of  La  Rochelle 
and  give  reciprocal  guarantees  against  all  at- 
tacks. At  sight  ot  port  the  Spanish  fleet  will 
salute  the  JSgo  et  Hex  with  a  hundred  guns 
and  she  will  return  the  salute  with  all  her 
artillery.  After  which  the  forty  millions 
which  the  present  treaty  concedes  his  Majesty 
the  King  of  Spain,  will  be  carried  on  board 
the  Santiago  and  each  of  the  two  contracting 
parties  will  have  the  right  of  going  whither 
he  chooses  without  a  single  cannon  being 
fired,  one  upon  the  other,  for  eight  days.' 

"  'Agreed  upon,'  said  Santa  Cruz.  'Is  that 
aU?' 

"  *  All,'  replied  my  father. 

"  'Well.  .  .  .  We  shall  meet  soon  again, 
you  and  I,  Lord  Montluc' 

"'Whenever  it  shall  suit  you.  Marquis,' 
politely  rejoined  my  father.  '  I  shall  always 
be  glad  to  meet  you  face  to  face,  with  glass 
or  sword  in  hand.' 

"At  the  same  time,  as  the  galleon  was  siok- 
ing  little  by  little,  he  made  haste  to  transfer 
his  precious  booty  on  board  the  Ego  et  Jtex, 
pa8i>ed  again  the  whole  Spcuiish  fleet,  and 
beading  the  flotilla  sailed  to  Rochelle  along- 
side the  Santiago.  When  in  sight  of  the  har- 
bor, he  delivered  to  Santa  Cruz  as  he  had 
promised,  thirty-eight  barrels  full  of  gold  and 
silver,  exchanged  with  him  the  most  cere- 
monious salutes  and  took  leave  of  the  Mar- 
qnis  of  Santa  Cruz. 

"While  Santa  Oruz  was  sending  his  barrels 
well  guarded  this  time  to  Oorooa,  and  yfoa 


cruising  with  five  vessels  a  few  iMgnes 
from  Bochelle,  my  father  entered  the  harbor 
with  his  brig  and  informed  the  city's  Gover> 
nor  he  was  anxious  to  see  him  on  board  hia 
ship,  'having  to  transmit  through  him  a  very 
important  message  on  the  King's  service.' 

"The  Governor  having  come  on  board,  my 
father  said  to  him  : 

' '  'Sir,  I  have  on  board  eight  miUions  in  gold 
for  his  Majesty,  King  Louis  XIV. ,  will  you 
please  to  notify  him  about  it  and  accept  its 
deUvery  ?' 

"  '  Eight  millions!'  exclaimed  the  (Governor. 
'Sir,  the  sum  is  large,  but  you  have  taken 
forty  millions.' 

"  'Yes,'  replied  my  father,  'but  the  ordi- 
nances of  his  Majesty  enact  that  he  shall  have 
only  the  fifth  of  all  prizes  •  now  the  fifth  part 
of  forty  is  eight ;  then — ' 

"  'Lord Montluc,'  the  Governor  then  said, 
pulling  forth  from  his  pocket  an  order  signed 
in  advance,  '  you  are  not  aware,  perhaps,  that 
the  Parliament  of  Bordeaux  has  sentenced  you 
to  death  and  confiscated  all  your  present  and 
future  goods ;  then  the  galleon  belongs  to  his 
Majesty,  and  trust  me,  put  your  prize  on  the 
dry  land,  take  a  million,  if  necessary,  and  de- 
part without  further  delay.  I  shall  close  my 
eyes  to  your  flight.' 

"At  these  words  my  father  gathered  to- 
gether the  crew  of  the  Ego  et  Hex,  and  related 
to  them  what  the  Governor  had  proposed. 
There  was  a  loud  roar  of  laughter,  or  rather  a 
general  hoot.  Some  wished  to  hang  the 
insolent  fellow,  others  to  throw  him  into  the 
sea.  My  father  saved  his  life  and  kept  him  as 
a  hostage  on  board. 

"  Meanwhile  he  had  dispatehed  a  messenger 
to  his  Majesty  charged  to  bear  the  following 
letter,  which  was  published  a  month  later  in 
the  Amsterdam  Gazette,  with  the  reply  of  his 
Majesty.     This  is  the  letter  : 

" '  La  Rochellb,  October  18,  1863. 

" '  SiBB : — In  accordance  with  the  offer  I  made 
your  Majesty  to  fight  your  eaemies  on  laud  and 
at  sea,  I  have  the  honor  to  inform  you  that  your 
very  loyal  subject,  the  Baron  Hannibal  of  Mont- 
luc, captain  of  the  brig  Ego  et  Bex,  has  captured 
a  galleon  from  India,  which  ^as  coming  from 
Carthaguna  to  Cadi:;,  escorted  by  the  entire 
Spanish  fleet.  The  >jooty  is  forty  millions,  dis- 
tributed among  a  like  number  of  liarrelB.  The 
fifth  of  it  ii  eight  millions,  which  1  hold  subject 
to  your  Majesty's  order. 

" '  May  I  be  permitted,  Sire,  to  atld  to  this 
happy  news  a  Buggestion  that  will  not  be  useless. 
It  is  to  prevent  your  foreign  courtiers  from  put- 
ting their  Angers  on  this  treasure  before  it  goes 
into  your  coffers. 

"  '  Pardon  me,  Sire,  for  an  advice  which  is  in 
spired  by  my  ardent  seal  for  the  glory  and  in- 


THE  CHIBFTAINS  OF  OHAMPLAjST. 


It 


teresta  of  your  Majestj,  whose  very  respectful 
and  devoted  servant  I  shall  ever  be. 

"  'MONTLUC' 

"For  answer  Minister  Mazarin  gave  orders  to 
arrest  the  Baron,  and  the  Governor  of  Sain- 
tonje,  with  the  help  of  some  troops,  desired 
to  enter  Bochelle.  But  the  burgesses,  won 
over  by  the  largesses  and  liberality  of  my 
father,  shut  their  gates.  While  there  was  a 
parleying  night  came  on,  and  the  JP  o  et  Rex 
was  enabled  to  leave  the  port  unobstructed. 

"Having  succeeded  in  avoiding  the  Spanish 
gqufldron,  my  father  visited  the  American  con- 
tinent, married  there,  and  became  lord  and 
owner  of  Lake  Erie  and  all  the  country  sur- 
rounding within  a  radius  of  one  hundred 
leagues." 

At  this  moment  J!"aupoil  entered,  bringing 
coffee,  and  Lord  Moi.Muc  stopped  in  his  nar- 
rative. I  replenished  liio  glasses,  and  I  pro- 
posed the  health  of  the  Baron,  his  father,  who 
was  doubtless  still  aUve,  although  ho  must  be 
very  aged. 

"My  father,"  resumed  the  young  man,  "is 
seventy  years  and  upv -.rds,  but  the  vigil  of 
our  departure  from  France  he  killed  with  a 
gun  shot  and  two  blows  of  his  poniard  a  grizzly 
bear  which  weighed  nine  hundred  pounds. 
But  hunting  is  a  family  characterictic ;  even 
my  mother  herself  has  sometimes  used  the 
gun  during  my  father  s  absence,  now  against 
the  bears,  and  again  against  the  savages." 

"How!"  I  cried  out  astonished;  "does 
Madame  the  Baroness — " 

"In  Canada,"  interposed  Monsieur  de 
Montluc,  we  are  not  hedged  in  like  kings ;  we 
take  care  of  ourselves.  If  my  father  has 
carved  out  for  himself  in  the  midst  of  forests 
a  domain  vaster  than  Anjou,  Touraine,  Brit- 
tany and  Normandy,  taken  together,  it  is  to 
hiB  Bword  in  the  first  place  he  owes  it,  and 
then  to  the  courage  of  my  ^aother,  who  has 
followed  him  everywhere,  up  to  the  day  when, 
in  the  very  middle  of  Lake  Erie,  he  erected, 
with  the  assistance  of  his  companions,  a 
castle,  or  rather  a  fortress,  which  he  christened 
Montluc  Tower,  in  memory  of  the  home  of 
his  ancestors.  Ah !  my  mother  is  not,  Father, 
one  of  those  grand  ladies  at  Versailles  who 
wear  hoops  and  paint  and  powder  and  make 
curtsies — never  has  a  nobler  woman,  a  more 
beautiful  or  more  worthy  woman  trod  the  soil 
of  Europe  or  America.  .  .  .  And  my 
Bisters,  who  are  all  married  in  Canada,  except 
one,  the  youngest,  ask  my  friend  Fitzgerald 
if  they  will  not  bear  comparison  with  your 
marchionesses." 

"Ohl  yes,"  exclaimed  the  Irishmaii,  "par- 
ticolartj  Mademoiselle  Atheniis." 


"Athenais,  my  d^ar  Father,"  said  Lord 
Montluc,  turning  towards  me,  "is  my  young- 
est sister,  and  this  poor  Fitzgerald  is  terribly 
afraid  she  will  marry  in  hia  absence." 

' '  But, "  I  then  inquired,  '  'was  the  Baroness, 
your  mother,  a  Canadian  by  birth  ?" 

Instead  of  answering,  the  young  man  in- 
quired of  me : 

"  Father,  have  you  an  assistant?" 

"Yes,  sir," 

"  Is  he  young  and  robust  ?" 

"  Very  young  and  very  robust." 

"  You  will  know  presently,"  he  continued, 
with  a  laugh,  "  why  I  put  these  questions.  I 
return  to  the  marriage  of  my  father,  which 
will  interest  you  and  give  you  an  idea  of  the 
way  we  live  in  Canada." 


CHAPTER  III. 

HOW    BABON    BANNIBAIi    OP    MANTLUO    WAS    BE- 
CEIVED  IN  CANADA. 

"I  have  explained  how  my  father  left 
France,  pursued  on  land  and  sea  by  the 
hatred  of  the  two  most  powerful  sovereigns  in 
Europe.  It's  true,  indeed,  that  he  was  him- 
self sovereign  of  his  staunch  brig  the  Ego  et 
Rex;  but  his  companions  soon  grew  weary  of 
leading  such  a  wandering,  unsettled  life.  The 
capture  of  the  Spanish  vessel  had  made  them 
all  rich,  and  they  were  anxious  to  enjoy  their 
new-found  fortune.  Most  of  them  dreamed 
of  tranquilly  settling  down  in  some  fine  coun- 
try, of  marrying  there  and  living  happily  and 
prosperously  in  the  bosom  of  their  families. 
And  as  France  was  shut  against  them,  my 
father  gathered  around  him  all  those  who  had 
remained  faithful  to  his  checkered  fortunes, 
and  after  conferring  with  them,  it  was  resolved 
that  the  Ego  et  Rex  should  head  her  course 
for  Canada. 

"' We  are  eighty  leagues  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Saint  Lawrence,'  said  my  father,  'and 
shall  sail  up  the  river  to  Quebec.  The  Gov- 
emor  will  demand  our  passports.  I  shall  tell 
him  who  I  am.  He  will  wink  at  the  irregu- 
larity and  suffer  us  to  proceed.  He  is  a  friend 
of  mine,  Count  Bonneval.  I  shall  conduct 
you  to  Montreal,  sixty  leagues  further  on. 
There  we  shall  be  in  the  heart  of  Canada,  iu 
the  middle  of  a  forest  eighty  leagues  long  by 
three  himdred  broad,  where  you'll  find  only 
bears,  snakes,  wild  deer,  a  few  missionaries 
and  some  savages.  We  shall  be  very  unfor- 
tunate if  we  don't  find  territory  enough  to 
build  our  huts  on.' 

' '  The  whole  crew  shouted:  '  Long  live  the 
Baron  of  Montluc  1 — Long  live  our  Captain!' 

"And  so  the  matter  was  determined.  Five 
days  later,  the  Ego  et  Rex  entered  the  Golf  of 
Stunt  lAwrence,  coasted  along  the  ^land  qf 


IS 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  CHAMPLAIN. 


Anticosd  and  sailed  up  the  river,  which  at  this 
spot  ia  as  wide  as  an  arm  of  the  sea  and  one 
hundred  fathoms  deep.  A  hundred  leagues 
on  the  vessel  stood  under  Quebec,  at  the  base 
of  a  magnificent  rock  called  Cape  Diamant." 

' '  Every  one  wanted  to  land  forthwith,  bat 
my  father  was  unwilling. 

"'We  must  first,' he  said,  'see  if  we  shall 
be  received  as  friends  or  enemies;  for  his 
Majesty  Louis  XIV.  may  very  well  have  given 
orders  to  have  our  heads  cut  off,  which  might 
prove  rather  unwholesome  for  us  just  now.'* 

' '  Then,  without  further  debate  or  delibera- 
tion, my  father  went  ashore  to  a  place  about 
three  hundred  paces  distant  from  the  city  with 
half  his  crew,  and  advancing  near  to  the 
ramparts,  besought  a  citizen  of  benevolent 
mien,  who  was  on  guard,  to  inform  Count 
Bonneval,  Gtovemor  of  new  France,  that  the 
Baron  of  Montluc,  his  kinsman,  and  Captain 
of  the  Ego  et  Rex,  in  the  service  of  his  Majesty, 
desired  to  pay  his  respects  and  take  in  pro- 
visions and  water. 

"  'My  lord,'  said  the  burgess,  'you  arrive 
quite  at  the  nick  of  time  and  the  Coimt  will 
be  very  glad  to  see  you.' 

"At  the  same  time  he  summoned  the  entire 
watch  to  arms.  In  the  twinkle  of  an  eye  the 
news  was  circulated  all  over  the  town  that  a 
considerable  re-inforcement  imder  the  com- 
mand of  Baron  Hannibal  of  Montluc  had  just 
arrived  from  France. 

"Whereupon  the  whole  town  rushed  forth, 
followed  by  the  garrison,  the  Governor  and  the 
clergy. 

' '  My  father  was  a  little  astonished  at  first. 
He  did  not  expect  such  a  reception. 

"  'My  friend,'  said  the  Governor  as  he  em- 
braced him,  "tis  God  that  sends  you.'  'My 
lord,'  added  the  Bishop,  'you  will  save  all  our 
lives.' 

"  '  Impossible,'  exclaimed  my  father.  *Are 
you  then  quite  tired  of  this  coimtry  ?• 

" '  Tired,'  said  the  Governor.  'Ah I  would 
to  heaven  we  had  nothing  but  that  to  dread! 
Do  you  know,  my  friend,  that  every  morning, 
for  three  months  past,  we  have  expected  noth- 
ing short  of  death  at  the  hands  of  the 
savages?  Do  you  know  that  half  our  citizen 
soldiery  spend  the  night  on  the  ramparts,  while 
the  other  half  sleep  at  home,  sword  in  hand  ? 
Are  you  aware  that  but  a  day  since  two  citi- 
zens who  had  chanced  outside  the  waUs  of  the 
town  were  scalped?  that  three  women  and 
five  children  had  their  throats  cut  last  week  in 
a  neighboring  village?  that  Father  Langlois, 
of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  was  burned  alive  three 
weeks  ago  by  the  Honnouthonans?  that 
Father  Brebeuf  had  but  a  few  days  before  re- 
ceived the  orown  of  loartyrdoio,  fmc*  ^at  five 


Iroquois  tribes,  secretly  aided  by  the  Puritans 
of  Massachusetts  and  the  Dutch  of  New  York, 
are  threatening  to  besiege  us  and  put  the  torch 
to  our  town  of  Quebec  ?  Do  you  know  that 
you  are  the  first  reinforcement  his  Majestj 
has  sent  us  in  ten  years  ? ' 

"At  these  words  my  father  smiled. 

"'My  dear  count,'  said  he,  'if  the  Very 
Christian  King  knew  I  had  landed  on  these 
shores  he  would  have  my  head  cut  oflf  here 
and  now,  close  to  my  shoulders.'  And  he 
related  his  story. 

"'This  being  so,  Montluc,  we  can  take 
each  other's  hand  and  form  an  aUiance,'  re- 
marked  Bonneval  as  he  smiled,  too ;  for,  if 
your  head  scarcely  clings  to  your  shoulders, 
mine  is  none  the  more  secure,  and  a  thousand 
leagues  away  from  Kings  and  Parhaments  it 
is  a  happiness  to  meet  again  among  the 
•avages  an  unexpected  friend.  .  .  .  But, 
by  the  way,  whither  do  you  go  ?  East,  West, 
North,  or  South?' 

"Saying  which,  my  father  and  the  rest 
went  to  dinner;  my  father  with  the  Bishop 
at  tha  Governor's  house,  as  was  his  right, 
and  his  adherents  with  tho  richest  citizens  of 
Quebec,  who  were  viemg  with  one  another  to 
extend  their  hospitahty  to  the  strangers. 
Carregue,  my  father's  lieutenant,  and  those 
who  had  remained  on  board  the  Ego  et  R^x, 
had  their  share  in  the  general  rejoicings  and 
were  almost  borne  down  with  the  hams  of 
bears,  fillets  of  the  elk,  If  os  of  the  'possum, 
the  turkey,  the  wild  duck,  puddingG,  saus- 
ages, birds  of  every  kind,  and  all  the  meats 
that  Canada  furnishes  in  such  abundance. 

"As  to  the  salmon,  they  are  so  plentiful  and 
large  in  the  St.  Lawrence  that  one  needs  only 
to  stoop  down  to  catch  them,  and  the  Cana- 
dians sought  to  be  excused  for  their  poverty 
in  offering  such  a  common  kind  of  food, 

"As  they  were  going  to  table  a  savage  of 
the  Erie  tribe  entered  the  room,  requesting 
speech  with  Bonneval. 

"'It  is  the  Father  of  prayers  that  sends 
me,'  said  he.  The  Governor  turned  to  my 
father  and  said  to  him : 

"  "Tia  the  name  the  savages  give  to  Father 
Fleuiy,  who  is  a  missionary  on  the  shores  of 
Lake  Champlain,  a  hundred  leagues  away.* 

"The  savage  handed  the  Governor  a  letter; 
he  opened  it  at  once  and  read  it  quite  low  at 
first,  then  in  a  loud  voice : 

"  'At  thb  Maplswood  Cross,  ) 
On  the  Shore  of  Lake  Ontario.  ( 

" '  Mr  Lord  Oovbrnor  :— All  is  lost  if  you  do 
not  come  to  oiu-  aid.  The  village  was  surprised 
this  morning  at  daybreak  by  a  band  of  four 
hundred  idolatrous  Iroquois,  of  whom  about 
fifty  are  armed  with  guns  wbich  the  New  £ng- 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


IS 


land  heretics  have  sold  them  for  the  purpose  of 
extenniDatlng  us. 

" '  Thirty  or  forty  of  our  Erie  converts  were 
massacred  before  having  had  time  to  address 
themselves  to  the  task  of  defense.  No  one 
would  have  escaped  (for  the  enemy  made  the 
attack  from  all  sides  at  the  same  time),  had  not 
M.  Champlain,  upon  opening  his  window  at 
four  in  the  morning,  fortunately  seen  the  Iro- 
quois gliding  along  noiselessly  among  the  apple 
trees,  and  instantly  given  the  alarm.  His 
brother,  awakened  by  the  noise,  rushed  to  the 
gate  of  the  courtyard  and  both  sounded  the 
trumpet  to  warn  our  faithful  Erles  and  supply 
them  with  an  asylum  in  their  dwelling,  at  the 
same  time  that  together  with  their  servants  they 
were  dispersing  the  Iroquois  with  their  firearms. 

" '  It  was  at  this  juncture  that  our  venerable 
Father  Forbin,  consulting  only  his  natural 
bravery,  wished,  despite  the  supplications  of 
the  Erles  and  our  own  prayers,  to  go  through 
the  village  to  give  absolution  to  all  the  dying 
faithful.  While  discharging  this  pious  duty 
the  pagan  Iroquois  smote  him  thrice  with  their 
tomahawks.  He  fell,  exclaiming:  "Father, 
forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do." 
And  he  yielded  his  soul  to  the  Lord.  After 
which  the  Iroquois  wanted  to  scalp  him,  but  at 
this  sight  nothing  could  hold  back  our  good 
Erles.  Notwithstanding  their  small  number, 
they  sprang  upon  their  savage  enemy,  the  elder 
Champlain  at  their  head.  Our  party  killed 
seven  of  the  enemy  with  the  musket,  nine  with 
battle-axe  or  tomahawk,  took  three  prisoners, 
and  bore  away  the  body  of  our  sainted  martyr. 

" '  I  regret  to  add  they  have  bound  their  pris- 
oners to  the  stake,  and  against  all  my  persua- 
sions, scalped,  quartered,  and  cut  them  to 
pieces.  'Tis  the  remains  of  their  pagan  training 
which  we  have  so  far  been  unable  to  eradicate. 
The  Champlains  themselves  do  not  believe  we 
should  oppose  them  in  this  terrible  practice. 

" '  However,  and  although  the  first  assault  has 
been  repulsed,  the  Iroquois  are  about  to  receive 
reinforcements,  and  besides,  taking  what  these 
savages  assert  io  be  true,  they  are  hired  and 
paid  by  the  Massachusetts  Yankees  and  have 
already  blockaded  the  house  of  the  Messrs. 
Champlain.  Our  fortifications  consist  of  a  stout 
palisading  fronted  by  a  deep  ditch.  We  num- 
ber here  twenty-five  female  savages,  young  and 
old,  three  French  women,  the  chief  of  whom  is 
Mademoiselle  Champlain,  who  has  given  an 
example  of  courage  and  all  the  virtues  of  her 
sex,  and  seventeen  men  able  to  bear  arms, 
without  counting  the  wounded,  among  whom 
are  the  two  Champlains. 

" '  My  Lord  Governor,  if  you  can  prevent  the 
Christian  seed  we  have  sown  in  this  country 
from  perishing  under  the  attacks  and  at  the 
hands  of  pagans  and  heretics,  if  you  will  save 
New  France  and  give  to  the  French  nation,  the 
King  and  our  Holy  Catholic  religion,  a  country 
larger,  more  salubrious  and  fertile  than  half 
Europe,  you  must  send  us  at  ouce  all  the  help 
you  can  afford.  God  grant  that  you  may  not 
come  too  late  1  Flbuhy,  Missionary,' 


"At  the  foot  of  the  letter  another  hand  had 
written :. 

"'Reverend  Father  Fleury,  who  has  told 
you  the  whole  affair,  except  about  the  three 
wounds  he  received — one  In  the  arm,  another 
in  the  head,  and  the  third  In  the  breast,  but 
happily  none  of  them  being  mortal — wished  to 
set  out  with  the  messenger  anJ  demand  help 
from  the  Hurons,  our  allies ;  but  he  can  scarcely 
keep  up,  so  weakened  has  he  become  through 
loss  of  biood.  We  have  accordingly  kept  him 
here  by  force.  .  .  .  We  have  provisions  for  a 
month.  If  we  pass  the  present  crisis  we  shall 
get  along  wltL  the  blessing  of  Providence. 

" '  Champlain,  Senior.' 

"A  long  silence  followed  the  reading  of  this 
letter.  Lord  Bonneval,  the  Governor,  seemed 
to  be  struck  with  dismay  at  the  tidings,  as 
well  as  the  Bishop  and  the  other  guests.  The 
savage  alone,  with  his  arms  crossed,  was  re* 
garding  the  whole  company  with  an  impassive 
air. 

'"My  father  Ononthio  (Ononthio  is  the 
name  the  savages  give  all  governors),  what 
shall  I  say  to  Champlain?' 

'"What  can  I  do?'  repUed  the  Governor. 
'  We  have  scarcely  enough  people,  powder 
and  supplies  to  protect  Quebec.  Within  an 
hour  the  Iroquois  may  make  an  assault  and 
massacre  all  our  people.' 

"Then  my  father  spoke:  'My  cousin,' 
said  he,  '  you  can  do  nothing  for  these  brave 
souls  at  the  Maplewood  Cross?' 

"'Nothing.' 

"  'And  you,  my  lord?' 

"  'Alas,'  replied  the  Bishop,  *I  am  about  to 
order  the  Forty  Hours'  Devotions  for  the  sal- 
vation  of  their  souls ;  for,  how  little  their  life 
is  worth,  you  see  yourself.     .     .     .' 

"Then  my  father  turned  toward  the  savage. 

'"Is  Lake  Champlain  far  from  here?'  he 
asked. 

" '  A  hundred  leagues.' 

'"By  what  road  did  you  come  here?' 

'"I  threw  myself  into  the  lake  by  night,  I 
played  a  trick  and  surprised  a  canoe  of  the 
Iroquois  which  was  not  guarded.  I  took  it, 
rowed  all  night,  and  reached  by  morning  the 
river  Bichelieu.  The  river  bore  me  to  the 
Saint  Lawrence,  and  the  Saint  Lawrence 
hither.' 

' ' '  How  deep  is  the  Bichelieu  ?' 

"  'From  ten  to  thirty  feet  from  Lake  Cham- 
plain to  the  Saint  Lawrence,'  said  the  Gov- 
ernor. 

' ' '  Then,  my  dear  Bonneval, '  said  my  father, 
'  accept  oui  thanks  f oi'  your  generous  hospi- 
tality.  We  shall  leave  here  in  an  hour,  my- 
self, my  friend  Carregue,  and  my  entire  crew, 
and  the  Ego  et  Hex,  whfch  draws  no  more 
than  six  feet  of  water  and  can  go  anywhere.' 


14 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  CH^MPLAIN. 


"They  wish  to  detain  him.  He  listens  to 
no  one.  He  gathers  his  sailors  together,  sets 
sail,  goes  up  again  the  Saint  Lawrence  with 
the  savage  sent  by  Monsieur  Ghamplain,  and 
arrives  at  Maplewood  Cross  precisely  at  the 
hour  the  assault  was  about  to  commence. 
Thirty  or  forty  Iroquois  had  already  broken 
through  the  palisades  and  were  combatting 
hand  to  hand  with  the  besieged.  The  others 
were  following  hard  by. 

' '  'Si.y  father  perceives  the  danger.  He  an- 
chors the  Ego  et  Rex  by  the  shore  and  rakes 
the  Iroquois  with  grape  shot.  At  thirty  feet 
distant,  forty-five  or  fifty  were  killed  or 
wounded.  The  rest,  terrified  and  not  know- 
ing whence  the  deathly  hailstorm  came,  flee. 
My  father  then  disembarks  with  his  com- 
panions, his  sword  in  one  hand  and  his  pistol 
in  the  other,  hurls  back  into  the  ditch  the 
Iroquois,  crosses  it  on  a  light  drawbridge,  kills 
on  his  way  a  score  more  of  the  savage  tribe 
and  would,  without  doubt,  have  slain  far  more, 
had  not  those  savages,  who  are  fleeter  than 
hares,  scattered  themselves  in  the  woods  like 
a  flock  of  sparrows,  pursued  by  a  hawk.    .    ." 

Here  Montluc  was  interrupted  in  his  re- 
cital by  an  admiring  exclamation  of  Beaupoil, 
who  had  just  returned  imobserved,  holding  in 
his  hands  two  bottles  of  my  best  Burgundy. 

"Ah!  monsieur,  that  must  be  magnificent. 
I  should  like  to  see  that  country.  I  have 
never  seen  anything." 

"But,"  I  remarked  to  him,  smiling,  "do 
you  know,  my  boy,  even  where  Canada  is, 
what  sort  of  country  it  is,  whether  they  would 
receive  you  there,  and  Lord  Montluc  may  have 
other  business  than  returning  thither  with 
you." 

"As  to  that.  Father,"  Montluc  remarked, 
"be  at  rest.  The  country  is  a  good  one.  Men 
of  Beaupoil's  years  and  character  are  rare  and 
valuable,  and  as  to  taking  him  thither  it  is  my 
greatest  wish,  for  I  am  going  thither  straight- 
way, passing  through  Bordeaux,  where  the 
frigate  La  Foudre  is  awaiting  us,  with  sealed 
orders  from  his  Majesty.  And  we  have  no 
no  time  to  spare,  for  the  fate  of  Canada  hangs 
upon  our  promptness  of  action,  and  it  may 
be,  likewise,  my  parent's  life.     .     .    ." 

"And  Athenais' life,"  added  the  Irishman, 
with  a  trembling  voice. 

"Without  mentioning  that  of  Lucy," 
Montluc  took  up. 

And  as  ^ontluc  saw  that  I  knew  neither 
Mile.  Athv    ^is  nor  Lucy,  he  said : 

"Athenais  is  my  sister.  As  to  Lucy, 
well —  But  it  is  a  little  late  to  talk  to  you 
about  the  ladies.  We  are  to  set  out  on  our 
journey  by  five  to-moJrrow  morning.  Let  us 
go  to  bed  now." 


At  the.ie  words  he  rose,  then  all  at  once, 
seized  with  some  recollection,  he  searched  in 
his  pockets,  found  nothing  and  exclaimed: 

"Heavens!  I  have  lost  his  Majesty's 
packet  of  instructions,  which  were  in  a  leather 
pouch.  Some  of  those  wolves  taking  the 
leather  for  human  flesh,  will  have  torn  it  up 
without  a  doubt,  and  carried  it  off  into  the 
depth  of  the  woods  during  the  conflict." 

"What  shall  we  do?"  said  Lord  Kildare. 
"Instructions  so  important!  And  so  zeal- 
ously pressed  upon  us !  If  the  king  know  it, 
he  would  thrust  us  both  into  the  Bastille  for  a 
hundred  and  fifty  years." 

There  was  a  moment's  silence.  I  was  as 
much  affected  by  their  loss  as  themselves. 

Marion  sighed,  and  after  her  old  fashion, 
threw  all  the  blame  on  her  husband. 

"It  is  his  fault,"  she  said.  "If  you  had 
not  gone  out  fishing,  you  should  not  have  met 
the  wolves,  you  should  not  have  lost  Fupiet 
and  obliged  these  gentlemen  to  take  you  out 
of  trouble,  and  the  Baron  should  not  have 
risked  being  sent  a  hundred  and  fifty  years  to 
the  Bastille." 

During  these  remarks,  the  Canadian  was 
reflecting.  All  of  a  sudden  he  arose  and  said: 
' '  I  must  have  this  packet  back.  Await  me 
here,  Kildare,  and  keep  company  with  his 
reverence." 

"What  will  you  do?" 

' '  Return  to  the  scene  of  our  battle  at  once. 
Here,  Pbcebus!" 
I  tried  to  detain  him. 

' '  My  lord,  in  Heaven's  name,  don't  go  out ! 
It  has  been  snowing  since  five  o'clock,  and 
therearebandsof  wolves  in  the  mountains.  .  ." 
"In  such  weather  as  this,"  added  Beaupoil, 
"a  pagan  would  not  be  cast  out  doors.  A 
hundred  feet  from  here  there  are  perhaps  six 
feet  of  snow.  You  will  stumble  into  some 
abyss." 

While  Beaupoil  was  speaking,  I  double- 
locked  the  door  of  the  room,  and  resolutely 
put  the  key  in  my  soutane  pocket  to  prevent 
Montluc  from  leaving  the  house  against  my 
will. 

He  commenced  to  laugh,  clasped  my  hand 
in  a  friendly  way  and  said : 

* '  You  are  right,  perhaps.  Father.  Let  us 
see  then  if  it  is  still  snowing." 

He  opened  the  window,  stretched  his  hand 
toward  the  south-west  in  the  direction  of 
TuUe,  as  if  to  ascertain  from  what  point  the 
wind  was  blowing,  ,ind  looking  at  his  dog,  a 
magnificent  Newfoimdland,  with  his  long 
shaggy  coat  of  hair,  silky,  half  black,  half 
white,  who  was  gazing  at  his  master,  with 
eyes  almost  human  in  their  expression : 
"Phoebus,"  said  he. 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


1« 


THEN  THE  TOUNQ  GENTLEMAN  TOOK  A  SI'lilNU,  A.NU  WIXU  A  liOUNJU  ALIUUTEl)   IN  THE   DEEP  SNOW. 


The  dog  rose  at  once,  wagging  his  tail  with 
an  air  of  intelligence.  ' '  You  see  what  I  have 
lost  I"  And  he  pointed  out  to  him  with  his 
finger  a  piece  of  leather  thong  which  was  still 
hinging  from  his  belt. 

Phcebus  barked. 

"Well,  my  good  Phcebus,  we  must  look 
for  it  together." 

TheB  turning  to  me:  "Father,"  he  said, 
"let  no  pass.     Give  me  the  key." 


I  replied:  "My  Lord,  _ou  see  yourself 
that  jou  are  courting  certain  death.  You 
will  be  the  prey  of  the  wolves.  To-morrow 
morning  we  shall  all  go  together  with  the 
villagers  in  search  of  your  lost  dispatches." 

I  firmly  resisted  all  his  entreaties  and 
those  of  Lord  Kildare,  who  wished  at  the 
least  to  follow  him,  but  was  finally  compelled 
by  him  to  sit  down  by  the  fire. 

"  Since  nothing  will  persuade  you,  my  dear 


16 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  OHAMPLAIN. 


cnr^,"  he  said  at  last,  "I  t^ke  the  only  course 
that  remaLva."  And  pointint;  the  open  win- 
dow to  the  dog:  "Go,"  saiQ  he,  "go  first, 
FhcebuB  i "  Without  hesitation  the  dog  sprang 
through  the  window  of  the  first  story  and 
disappeared. 

Then  the  young  g«intleman  took  his 
spring,  and  with  a  bound  ah^^'^ted  on  his  feet 
in  the  deep  snow. 

Marion  shrieked  with  terror  and  admira- 
tion while  Lord  Montluc  was  saying  to  his 
friend: 

"Gerald,  throw  my  sword  out  the  win- 
dow, and  you,  Father  Cure',  wait  coffee  for 
me.     I  shall  be  with  you  presently." 

Lord  Kildare  complied  with  his  request, 
and  the  Canadian  followed  in  the  dog's  tracks. 

I  exclaimed  as  I  closed  the  window :  ' '  Your 
friend  is  lost!"  Kildare  began  to  laugh: 
"Lost!  he  I  You  don't  know  Montluc  I  Just 
now  he  has  been  speaking  of  his  father, 
through  his  innate  modesty ;  but  if  he  were 
willing  to  talk  of  himself,  you  should  have  to 
listen  three  days  to  the  recital  of  his  achieve- 
ments. Ah  I  he  is  of  a  bold  stock,  my  friend 
Montluc,  and  has  wherewith  to  support  it! 
Ask  him  to  relate  only  how  he  came  from 
Quebec  to  France  last  month,  and  how  we 
three,  he  and  I  and  Phoebus  (for  Phoebus  was 
with  us),  boarded  an  English  frigate." 

I  begged  Lord  Kildare  to  relate  the  inci- 
dent himself,  and  he  consented. 

"Besides,"  he  added,  "that  will  keep  us  in 
a  patient  mood  awaiting  the  return  of  Mont- 
luc and  the  coffee." 

"Would  he  return?"  I  asked  myself,  ap- 
prehensively. 


CHAPTER  rV. 

HOW  liOBD  KILDAKX  BBINOS  A.  SBBIOUS  TBOU- 
BLK  UPON  HIMBELP  ON  ACCOUNT  OF  SOME 
BABBELS  or  WATEB,  AND  WHAT  BB8ULTED 
THEBEFEOM. 

"Let  me,  first  of  all,"  said  Lord  Kildare, 
"inform  you  how  I  made  the  acquaintance  of 
the  Baron  of  Montluc.  My  father,  like  my- 
self called  Gerald,  was  Earl  of  Kildare,  as 
well  as  my  grandfather.  My  grandfather, 
who  was  a  Catholic  and  a  royalist,  perished 
fighting  against  Cromwell  for  his  religion  and 
country.  His  goods  were  confiscated  and 
given  to  English  Boundheads.  Under  Chdrles 
II.  my  father  returned  from  exile,  and  retook 
with  arms  in  his  hand  a  portion  of  his  lost 
property.  He  was  himself  unfortunately  slain 
at  the  passage  of  the  Boyne  the  day  James 
II.  fled  before  the  usurper  William. 

"I  was  twenty  years  old  then,  and  I  was 
fighting  at  the  side  of  my  father  when  he  fell. 


stricken  down  by  a  ball.  I  rejoined  the  army 
which  was  retiring  to  Dublin.  Thereupon, 
the  conqueror,  having  confiscated  my  father's 
property,  and  set  -a  price  on  my  head,  I  waK 
obliged  to  take  refuge  in  France." 

The  young  Irishman  paused,  overcome 
with  melancholy  thoughts  at  this  terrible 
memory. 

"But,"  he  resumed,  "King  Louis  XIV. 
gave  me  a  command  in  an  Irish  company, 
'A  hich  I  had  raised  among  the  Fitzgerald  ten- 
antry. I  was  at  Steinkerk  in  the  French  army 
with  Marshal  de  Luxemburg,  and  I  then  and 
there  had  the  gratification  of  retiuning  the 
English  the  blows  they  had  administered  to 
us  in  Ireland. 

"  I  was  then  in  the  pay  i>f  the  French  King, 
I,  Gerald  Fitzgerald,  Earl  of  Kildare,  and  was 
endeavoring  to  kill  as  many  Englishi^en  as  I 
could  when  I  was  despatched  to  Canada, 
which  the  English  were  threatening  with  an 
invasion.  I  set  out  with  my  Irish  regiment. 
It  was  there  I  became  acquainted  with  the 
father  of  Montluc,  and  under  the  following 
circumstances : 

"The  Canadian  governor  had  despatched 
me  with  my  Irish  troops  as  a  garrison  for 
Fort  Calarocony,  at  the  entrance  of  Lake  On- 
tario. I  had  always  heard  that  the  Indians 
were  treacherous  and  revengeful,  but  I  had 
little  experience  with  them  until  de  Frontenac 
sent  me  among  them.  Once,  in  Upper 
Canada,  I  found  an  imfortunate  traveler  al- 
most dead  by  the  wayside.  He  had  suffered 
greatly  from  a  band  of  Iroquois  returning  from 
the  war-path,  and  they  had  left  him  for  dead. 
I  dismotmted  and  assisted  him  to  my  house. 
He  could  scarcely  speak,  and  as  he  lay  on  the 
ground,  I  thought  he  was  dead ;  but  he  re- 
covered, and  every  year  he  writes  a  grateful 
letter  to  me.  From  this,  as  you  may  imagine, 
I  had  conceived  no  pleasant  idea  of  the  gentle 
savage.  To  give  you  an  idea  of  the  country, 
conceive  five  lakes,  one  pouring  itself  into 
the  other,  and  intersecting  a  great  forest. 
From  the  last  lake  issues  a  stream  or  river 
which  empties  right  into  the  Atlantic.  But 
the  five  lakes — Superior,  Huron,  Michigan, 
Erie  and  Ontario — are  lakes  the  largest  of 
which,  Lake  Superior,  is  fifteen  hundred 
miles  in  circumference,  and  seven  or  eight 
hundred  feet  in  depth;  the  smallest,  Lake 
Ontario,  only  half  the  former  in  depth,  is  six 
hundred  miles  in  circ  imf erence.  The  forest 
is  Upper  and  Lower  Canada.  The  stream  is 
the  St.  Lawrence,  about  tLree  miles  in  width, 
at  least,  at  its  spring  from  the  Ontario,  and 
about  ninety  miles  at  its  flow  into  the  ocean. 
The  depth  is,  in  some  places,  sixty,  a  him- 
dred,  two  hundred,  and  three  hundred  feet. 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAMPLAIN, 


17 


*•  The  Canadisn  ROTenior,  de  Prontenrvc,  had 
^^rgod  mo  when  Hettir  g  out :  '  Be  wary  above 
alJ  things,  Lord  Kildare,  of  the  Indians.  You 
are  on  the  frontier.  At  any  moment  thoy 
may  feel  diapcsed  to  attack  you.  The  Eu^ilifth 
and  the  Irotiuois  are  quite  near.  You  may 
have  been  massncred  with  all  your  men  a 
mouth  before  I  receive  any  tidings  of  it.' 

"'My  lord  Count,'  I  rejoined,  'be  sure 
that  a  Fitzgerald  never  BuflFerH  himwelf  to  be 
surprised,  and  that  if  the  English  sliould  at- 
tack me  they  will  find  that  thoy  have  a  man 
to  deal  with.'  As  I  was  about  to  take  my  de- 
parture Lord  I'rontenao  called  mo  back  and 
Haid  :  '  At  least,  if  you  are  in  danger,  inform 
Lord  Moutluc,  your  neighbor.  He  is  a  gen- 
tleman of  the  highest  honor,  courage  and  ex- 
perience, a  man  whom  all  the  savages  fear 
and  respect  even  as  they  would  a  god.     His 


the  roe  and  the  buck  in  their  own  forests. 
The  AlgouquiuR  were  specially  devoted  to  me. 
Thirty  or  forty  of  them  used  to  come  every 
moniiug  to  present  me  their  complimeuts 
I  and  ask  for  some  bottles  of  French  brandy. 
At  last,  seeing  my  provisions  run  out  and  my 
soldiers  murmuring  that  every  thing  was 
going  to  the  savages,  I  refused  downright  to 
continue  these  liberalities  and  the  Algonciuins 
came  no  more.  For  a  month  I  had  no  tidings 
of  thenj. 

"Suddenly,  one  evening  at  sundown,  as  I 
was  quietly  thinking  and  making  ready  for  a 
fishing  excursion  with  four  or  live  of  my  men, 
the  keeper  of  the  fort,  an  old  French  Cana- 
dian called  Briso-Caillon,  looking  down  the 
parapet  on  the  lake  side  shouted,  '  To  arras  I 
to  arms!  the  enemy  approaches.' 

"What  enem,y  ?  I  believed  the  man  had  be- 


'mt  fatheb  fell,  stbicken  down  by  a  ball. 


friendship  will  profit  you  more  than  an  army 
of  six  thousand  men.' 

"Without  replying,  I  set  out  on  my  jour- 
ney, caring  almost  as  little  about  making  the 
acquaintance  of  the  Baron  of  Montluc  as  of 
that  of  the  Shah  of  Persia.  Youth  is  natu- 
rally presumptuous.  It  seemed  to  me  that 
a  Fitzgerald  had  nothing  whatever  to 
fear. 

"I  reached  Calarocony,  which  is  shaped 
like  a  long  quadrangle  made  up  of  six 
or  eight  wooden  barracks,  and  surround- 
ed by  a  rampart  and  a  ditch  on  the 
land  side  and  a  high  palisade  on  the  Lake 
Ontario  side,  with  four  small  pieces  at 
the  four  angles  of  the  figure.  The  fort 
was  not  hard  to  capture  but  the  country  was 
at  peace.  Even  better  than  that,  for  I  had 
met  there  only  friends.  The  Hurons  feted 
me.  The  Algonquins  called  me  father.  The 
Iroquois  invited  me  to  the  chase  of  the  bear, 


come  crazy.  But  as  he  did  not  cease  to  shout 
to  arms,  I  mounted  the  parapet  and  directed 
my  glass  to  the  lake.  A  flotilla  of  twenty  or 
thirty  boats  was  approaching  our  fort,  scuU- 
iug  along  with  all  their  might. 

"They  were  my  friends,  the  Algonquins. 
I  recognized  them  without  difficulty  by  the 
shape  and  lightness  of  their  canoes,  which 
were  skimming  along  the  water. 

'"Don't  you  see,  sir,',  said  Brise-Cail- 
lon,  '  these  people  have  a  crow  to  pluck. with 
you  since  you  denied  them  the  brandy,  and 
they  are  coming  to  take  your  scalp.' 

"  '  From  what  do  you  infer  that  ?' 

"  '  They  have  neither  wives  or  children  with 
them.  It  is  as  if  they  had  written  on  their 
brows  :  '  Take  heeed !  we  are  going  to  eat 
the  nose  off  your  face  !' 

"  Brise-Caillon  was  right.  As  the  boats 
approached  I  could  count  the  Algonquins. 
There  were  about  a  hundred  or  a  hundred 


18 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


and  twenty,  lightly  eqoipped  as  if  for  a  hol- 
iday or  for  battle.  Thoy  advancod  in  their 
course  with  a  show  of  gaiety,  but  the  shrewd 
observatious  of  the  old  Canadian  upon  the 
absence  from  the  .party  of  thoir  wives  and 
young  ones,  and  the  custom  of  the  savages  to 
surprise  their  enemies,  dictated  the  "policy  of 
being  on  my  guard  against  them.  Accord- 
ingly I  put  my  whole  force  under  arms — num- 
bering almost  forty  men.  I  set  each  man  at 
his  post  and  uneasily  waited  coming  events. 
However,  the  first  move  of  my  Algonquins 
did  not  indicate  any  hostile  intentions  on  their 
part.  Thoy  came  on  to  the  sound  of  a  music 
that  was  festive,  and  not  warlike. 

"At  the  moment  I  was  preparing  to  give 
the  signal  for  combat,  the  canoes  of  the  Al- 
gonquins were  not  distant  more  than  fifty  feet 
from  the  wall  of  the  fort,  the  base  of  which 
ia  bathed  by  the  flow  of  the  lake,  which  is  at 
this  spot  more  than  five  hundred  feet  deep, 
the  largest  of  the  canoes  separated  from  the 
flotilla,  and  a  chief  of  haughty  mien,  making  a 
aign  to  the  rest  to  remain  stationary,  pushed 
on  to  the  luay  followed  by  two  companions. 
He  had  his  carabine  in  hand  and  his  toma- 
hawk or  hatchet  slung  across  his  shoulder 
like  a  renowned  warrior.  He  at  once  sprang 
ashore,  and  having  bowed  majestically  to  me, 
informed  me  that  in  accordance  with  the 
usages  of  his  tribe  he  and  his  companions 
bad  come  to  present  me  their  compliments 
and  smoke  with  me  the  pipe  of  peace. 

"  My  gentleman  had  the  politeness  to  add 
that  being  on  the  point  of  setting  out  on  a 
grand  hunting  excursion  in  the  mountains  of 
Vermont,  he  and  his  friends  invited  me  to  go 
jUong  with  them.  He  sat  down,  his  legs 
crossed  and  folded  under  him,  hke  a  tailor. 
His  two  companions  followed  his  example, 
and  all  three  seemed  to  be  waiting  the  pro- 
duction of  pipes  and  liquor. 

"To  be  candid,  I  did  not  know  what  to  do. 
To  send  this  gentleman  and  his  two  friends 
back  to  their  canoes  was  an  easy  task,  but  it 
-would  have  proved  an  affront  which  the 
savages  would  not  pardon,  for  they  are  proud 
and  vindictive.  To  receive  them  with  aU 
their  companions  would  be  to  deliver  to  the 
enemy  a  place  under  my  command,  and  cover 
^ith  dishonor,  through  a  cowardice  having 
all  the  appearances  of  treason,  the  name  of 
Fitzgerald. 

' '  I  was  silent  a  few  moments.  Fortunately 
these  savages  never  being  over-anxious  to 
speak  themselves,  patiently  awaited  my  re- 
ply. At  length,  looking  around  me,  I  observed 
at  a  short  distance  from  the  fort  a  glade 
situated  in  the  midst  of  a  forest  of  stately 
•oaks,  and  I  proposed  to  receive  my  guests 


upon  neutral  ground  and  smoke  with  them 
a  half  dozen  pipes,  if  need  be. 

"The  Algonquin  gentleman,  who  was  called 
Pied-de-Oerf,  or  Stag-Foot,  as  I  learned  later 
on,  for  his  great  fleetness  of  foot,  appeared 
not  to  perceive  my  hesitancy  and  distrust. 
He  thanked  me  very  politely  for  my  invita- 
tion,  as  if  I  had  been  quite  free  to  act  other. 
wise,  and  returned  to  his  tribe  to  report 
progress.  He  was  welcomed  with  cries  of 
joy,  which  I  could  hear  from  the  shore,  and 
all  my  Algonciuins  hastened  to  disembark  and 
betake  themselves  to  the  glade. 

"Meanwhile,  Brise-Caillon  asked  me  what 
I  intended  to  do. 

"'To  keep  my  promise,  Brise-Caillon!  I 
I  shall  smoke  four  or  five  pipes  with  them. 
An  Earl  of  Kildare  has  but  his  word  of  honor.* 

"  'Well,  then,  and  what  shall  we  do  in  the 
meantime  ? ' 

"'Thirty  men  will  remain  to  guard  the 
fort.  The  other  ten,  well  armed,  will  accom- 
pany me  to  our  place  of  meeting.  There, 
should  they  essay  an  attack,  we  shall  defend 
ourselves  and  beat  a  letreat.' 

"Brise-Caillon  shook  his  head  in  disap- 
proval of  my  plan  and  said  • 

"  'Yon  could  not  do  anything  more  foolish, 
With  these   people  you   must  be   alto- 


sir. 


gether  friendly  or  altogether  hostile.  If  you 
are  a  friend,  you  must  give  them  as  much 
drink  as  you  can,  and  if  you  are  an  enemy, 
you  must  shoot  them  down.'  He  scratched 
his  head  a  moment  and  resumed  with  a  pro- 
found  sigh:  'Ah!  if  we  could  but  find 
Montluc  le  Kouge,  or  if  only  he  could  divine 
our  present  danger,  how  he  would  extricntd 
us  from  this  embarrassing  situation !  In  an 
instant  ho  would  manipulate  all  these  savages 
hke  a  glove.     But,  then,  where  is  he?' 

'"Do  you  know  where  he  lives ?  We  could 
send  for  him.' 

"'Ah!  pshaw!  The  home  of  his  father, 
the  old  Baron,  is  more  than  fifty  leagues 
away,  in  the  middle  of  Lake  Erie.  Before 
he  could  be  informed  of  our  peril,  we  shall 
be  all  simmering  on  the  frj'ing  pan.' 

"I  tried  to  comfort  Brise-Caillon.  I  told 
him  that  with  forty  determined,  resolute 
men  we  could  easily  overcome  a  hundred  and 
fifty  of  the  enemy.  He  answered  me  by 
saying: 

"  'The  savages  in  the  wood  below  are  only 
the  advance-guard  of  the  tribe.  The  rest 
are  ten  times  as  many  and  will  be  here  in  an 
hour  or  two.  I  know  them  well;  but  go! 
It  is  because  they  have  designed  to  attack  us 
by  surprise  that  they  have  not  come  all  at 
once,  but  you  will  see  pretty  soon.' 

' '  Then  I  formed  a  bold  resolution :     '  Kir 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAlfPLAIK. 


19 


cnldy,  Uke  th«  oommand.  I  am  going  down 
to  the  wood.  If  the  Algonquinn  are  dovising 
Home  snare  against  mo,  don't  mind  anything, 
except  to  remut  the  assault  and  prevent  them 
from  entering  the  fort.  Adieu;  and  above 
all  consult  with  Brise-Caillon,  who  is  a  man 
of  good  judgment,  and  well  acquainted  with 
the  country.' 

"Thereupon  I  sallied  forth  from  the  fort. 
Having  reached  the  centre  of  the  Algonquins, 
I  seated  myself  upon  the  trunk  of  a  tree. 

"I  began  my  speech  by  repeating  as  briefly 
as  possible  what  I  had  said  to  Pied-de-Cerf, 
and  expressed  my  gratification  at  seeing  them 
once  more.  This  discourse,  interpreted  to 
thorn  by  their  chief,  produced  a  most  desira- 
ble effect.  He  responded  on  behalf  of  his 
friends  that  their  gratification  surpassed  mine, 
and  that  they  were  glad  the  slight  ripple  of 
dissatisfaction  which  had  marred  the  har- 
mony of  our  relations  was  at  length  to  be 
smoothed  away. 

"It  was  then  he  touched  upon  the  slight  I 
had  put  upon  the  whole  tribe  when  I  refused 
them  two  casks  of  brandy,  of  which  they 
knew  I  had  a  supply  on  hand.  A  general 
outcry  was  raised  against  me  at  this  reminder, 
and  I  began  to  feel  I  was  lost.  I  could  not 
moke  any  effective  resistance,  being  all  alone 
and  having  only  my  sword  and  two  pistols 
for  defense.  As  to  yielding,  that  is,  giving 
these  savages  the  two  casks  of  brandy  they 
demanded,  it  would  cause  them  to  believe  I 
wan  afraid  and  serve  to  redouble  their  inso- 
lence. Besides,  who  could  calculate  what 
they  might  do  in  their  drunkenness  ?  In  my 
perplexity  I  believed  it  better  to  display  firm- 
ness. 

"I,  therefore,  replied  that  I  should  never 
retract  my  resolution,  that  I  was  the  friend 
of  the  Algonquins,  quite  ready  to  smoke  with 
them  the  pipe  of  peace  and  alliance,  but  that, 
as  far  as  my  brandy  was  roucemed,  they 
should  never  taste  of  it.  My  reply  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  terrible  uproar.  All  the  Algon- 
quins rose  up,  brandishing  their  hatchets, 
yelling  their  war-cry  and  throwing  themselves 
headlong  upon  me.  "Without  waiting  for  their 
attempt  to  seize  me,  I  drew  from  my  belt  a 
pistol,  which  I  took  in  my  left  hand;  with 
the  right  I  drew  my  sword,  I  sprang  at  a 
bound  across  the  trunk  of  the  tree  I  had  been 
sitting  upon  from  the  beginning  of  our  con- 
ference and  ran  direct  to  the  fort,  crying  out 
to  my  Irish  troops :  '  Open !  open ! '  which 
they  did  at  once.  But  I  was  not  entirely  out 
of  the  wood  for  all  that.  The  Algonquins,  as 
fleet  as  myself,  were  right  on  my  heels  in  hot 
pursuit,  and  a  leader  of  their  tribe  who  had 
thrown  himself  in  my  path  to  cut  off  my  re- 


treat, flought  to  atop  me.  As  I  sprang  poHt 
him  he  dealt  me  a  blow  of  his  hatchet  which 
would  have  cleft  my  head  in  twain,  but, 
luckily,  it  only  swept  my  hat  away.  I  re- 
sponded with  a  sharp  stroke  of  the  butt-end 
of  my  pistol,  which  caused  my  man  to  recoil. 

"I  was  not  more  than  twenty  paces  from 
the  gate,  and  in  two  seconds  had  cleared  the 
distance.  Brise-Caillon,  who  held  the  gate 
open,  was  watching  me  and  shut  it  the  mo- 
ment I  got  inside  the  fort.  The  drawbridge 
was  raised  and  my  fine  friends,  the  Algon- 
quins, quite  out  of  sorts  at  having  suffered 
me  to  escape  their  clutches,  showered  arrows 
and  curses  upon  the  walls  and  ramparts  of 
the  fort. 

"*You  have  escaped  by  a  miracle!'  said 
the  Canadian  to  me.  '  I  was  afraid  I  should 
be  obliged  to  attend  your  funeral.'  And  he 
added  as  he  gazed  upon  the  lake:  'Well, 
sir ;  what  did  I  tell  you  an  hour  ago  ?  That 
these  rogues  were  only  the  advance  guard, 
and  that  the  rest  of  the  horde  would  soon  be 
at  hand.     Look ! ' 

"And,  in  truth,  we  soon  perceived  on  the 
lake  countless  canoes  manned  by  Indians  who 
were  steering  rapidly  for  the  fort. 

"Luckily,  the  Algonquins,  strengthened  by 
the  new  comers'  arrival,  (whether  it  was  that 
they  desired  at  first  to  lull  us  into  a  false 
security  and  then  surprise  us,  or  that  they 
were  engaged  in  consultation),  kept  quiet  all 
night.  For  my  part,  I  kept  half  my  com- 
mand under  arms  and  let  the  others  sleep  on 
bear-skins  or  deer-skins,  of  which  we  had 
quite  a  number. 

"At  sunrise  every  man  was  up  and  the 
firing  began  on  both  sides.  The  chiefs  were 
almost  the  only  savages  who  had  guns,  pow- 
der, and  balls.  The  rest  had  arrows  and 
tomahawks,  which  are  skiill-crackers  of  a 
hard,  seasoned  wood,  as  hard  as  iron  itself. 
On  our  side  we  were  all  provided  with  mus- 
kets, but  I  had  given  orders  to  husband  the 
ammunition.  To  sustain  a  siege  of  several 
days  and  hours,  whether  with  good  or  bad 
results,  could  not  last  any  shorter,  we  had 
only  sixty  bullets  a  man.  Certainly  that  was 
quite  enough  if  each  shot  struck  an  Algonquin 
in  the  head  or  heart;  but  my  brave  Irish, 
daring  soldiers  were  bad  shots  and  needed  to 
be  kept  under  a  strict  watch.  Besides,  take 
into  account  that  our  Algonquins,  in  order  to 
ensure  safer  aim  at  us,  climbed  to  the  tops  of 
trees,  from  which  point  of  vantage  they  com- 
manded the  wall  of  the  fort.  At  the  same 
time  they  sheltered  themselves  behind  the 
trunk  or  thick  branches,  so  as  to  offer  no 
point  for  our  aim,  for  they  are  not  less  wary 
and  cunning  than  brave. 


so 


THK  CHIEt'TAINB  OF  OHAMPLAJN. 


"l  PBESENT  TO  YOU  LOBD  EILDABE,    AN  IRISH  GENTLEMAN." 


"Suddenly,  in  the  midst  of  our  troubles, 
Brise-Caillon  came  to  me  with  an  air  of  tri- 
umph and  whispered  in  my  ear:  'We  are 
safe,  monaieiir;  Montluc  le  Rouge  is  coming 
to  our  assistance.'  And  preceding  me  to  the 
lake  side  of  the  fort  he  pointed  out  a  sailing 
boat  which  was  rapidly  coming  toward  us. 

"To  my  great  astonishment  I  saw  the  boat 
swerve  aside  from  the  direction  of  the  fort 


and  make  for  the  camp  of  the  Algonquins  in 
the  very  midHt  of  the  hailstorm  of  shots. 
'Sir,'  said  Brise-Caillon,  who  had  become  my 
chief  adviser,  '  don't  be  uneasy ;  the  Baron  of 
Montluc  has  begun  the  business  with  his 
usual  address.' 

"  Brise-Caillon  was  right ;  for  in  the  twinkle 
of  an  eye  the  firing  of  the  savages  stopped, 
cheers  resounded  from  all  sides,  and  Moutluo 


v> 


THE  CHIEFTAINH  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


SI 


ftupres8<Hl  me  with  the  idea  of  a  king  return- 
iug  to  hia  capital.  I  know  not  what  Moutluo 
could  have  Haid  to  the  AlgoiiquinH,  hut  hn  wiin 
not  long  before  he  preHented  hiiuHelf  alone  at 
the  gate  of  the  fort,  which  wau  throwu  open 
to  him  by  the  Canadian. 

"Ho  advanced  to  me  without  ceremony  and 
said: 

*"8ir,  you  are  Oerald  FitzKorald,  Earl  of 
Kildarc,  and  Lieutenant  of  the  King  of  Franco 
iu  Canada,  are  you  not?' 

"  'YcH,  monweur.' 

'"I  am  Louis,  Baron  of  Montluc,  Bon  of 
the  Baron  Hannibal,  whose  Castle  of  Moutluo 
Tower  \h  Hituated  iu  the  centre  of  Lake  Erie, 
pn  the  Island  of  Turtles,  sixty  leagues  to  the 
west  of  this  fort.  My  mother,  a  French- 
woman, through  her  grandfather  Lord  Cham- 
plain,  he  who  founded  Quebec,  is  the 
daughter  through  her  grandmother  of  the 
last  ^pcat  chief  of  the  Erics,  who  used  to 
llwoll  on  the  lake  of  that  name,  and  who  were 
ppread  all  over  the  country.  So  I  have  the 
blood  of  Champlaiu  and  of  Erie  in  my  veins, 
ts  well  as  that  of  Montluc;  my  barbarian 
great-graudfather  was  the  host  and  friend  of 
my  French  ancestors,  and  it  is  for  that  reasou 
I  am  everywhere  called  the  'red  Montluc' 

"Montluc  seeing  the  Canadian  near  me, 
pressed  his  hand,  saying : 

"'Ah  I  it  is  you,  Brise-Caillon  ?  Close  the 
gate  behind  us,  for  we  are  going  forth.' 

'"What  for?'  I  inquired. 

"  'To  talk  with  the  Algonquins.' 

"'But—' 

"'Yes,  I  know;'  said  Montluc,  with  a 
smil<>, 

"  'They  have  told  me  what  happened,  and 
that  they  designed  to  scalp  you  this  very 
night.  Fortunately  I  had  been  thinking  so, 
too.  Yesterday  morning  about  seven  o'clock 
I  was  bear-hunting  forty  leagues  from  here, 
when  I  was  accidentally  informed  that  my 
friends,  the  Algonquins,  were  preparing  an 
expedition.  Against  whom  ?  No  one  knew. 
I  thought  that  it  might  be  you.  My 
father,  Hannibal,  (to  whom,  without  any 
reproach,  you  owed  a  neighborly  visit)  said 
to  me :  '  Kildare  is  a  gentleman ;  my  friends 
in  France  have  spoken  well  of  him,  but  he  is 
somewhat  foolhardy.  He  thinks  he  needs  no 
help  from  any  one.  He  imwittingly  offends 
the  Algonquins,  and  will  get  into  some  trouble 
of  which  the  English  will  take  advantage. 
Lend  him  all  the  aid  you  can  and  watch 
over  him.'  So  yesterday  morning  I  was  out 
hunting  when  I  learned  of  this  attack.  I  was 
then  in  the  woods.  I  at  once  proceeded  to 
the  chief  village  of  the  Algonquins,  where  I 
was  ioformed  that  the  warriors  of  the  tribe 


had  gone  forth  to  oat  the  throats  of  younel/ 
and  your  garrision.  I  crowded  on  all  sail  aud 
readied  here,  as  you  see,  just  in  good  time." 

' '  Full  of  confidence  in  hia  infiuenue  with  the 
savages,  I  followed  him  to  the  middle  of  the 
glade,  where  the  Algonquins  were  expecting 
his  return  with  glad  couiitenauces.  When  ho 
entered  the  circle  of  warriors,  he  was  woU 
uomed  with  mmiberloss  acclamations.  You 
would  have  thought  ho  was  the  natural  head 
of  all  the  savages  assembled. 

"Ho  seated  himself  and  made  me  sit  at  his 
side  on  the  trunk  of  the  trcv,  where  I  had  sat 
the  previous  evening,  and  from  which  I  waa 
obliged  to  floe  for  my  life.  Then  having 
made  a  sign  with  his  hand  that  he  desired  to 
speak,  ho  said : 

' '  '  My  Algonquin  brothers,  T  present  to 
yoii  Lord  Kildare,  an  Irish  gentleman  in  the 
Horvice  of  the  King  of  France,  and  my  Inti- 
mate  friond,  in  order  that  you  may  receive 
him  as  an  ally,  and  that  henceforth  there  may 
be  no  cause  of  war  between  you  and  him.' 

' '  Their  several  voices  all  together  explained 
the  affront  I  had  offered  the  Algomjuins  in 
refusing  them  the  two  casks  of  brandy,  al- 
though the  fort  was  stocked  with  a  hundred 
of  them. 

"  I  protested  then  were  only  two,  and  that 
I  had  the  King's  order  to  keep  them  for  my 
men. 

"After  several  minutes'  confusion,  a  voice 
whose  European  accent  struck  me  came  out 
of  the  crowd: 

"  'After  all,'  this  voice  said,  'the  English 
in  Boston  have  whiskey  which  is  as  good  as 
the  brandy  of  the  King  of  France,  and  thoy 
will  give  it  in  abundance  for  our  bear-skins 
and  fox-Hkins  1' 

' '  This  speech  produced  a  wonderful  effect 
on  his  hearers.  I  did  not  know  what  re- 
ply  to  make,  for  it  was  the  truth.  I  began  to 
reflect:  'How  shall  my  new  friend  answer 
that?" 

"Batllittle  knew  Montluc,  to  think  him 
embarrassed  for  so  little.  AVhile  th«  other 
was  speaking,  from  his  hiding  place  in  the 
third  line  of  the  crowd,  Montluc  had  per- 
ceived and  recognized  him.  With  a  bound 
he  cleared  the  two  front  lines,  seized  the 
squatting  figure  by  the  ears,  lifted  him  up 
without  an  effort,  and  threw  him,  despite  his 
cries,  into  the  centre  of  the  crowd.  I  waa 
astonished  to  behold  a  tall,  fair.looking  man, 
of  German  rather  than  Enpliah  build,  and  in 
no  way  resembling  the  otk'^i  .Algonquins. 

"After  having  disarmed  i\nd  bound  his 
prisoner,  Montluc  turned  aroand  and  said: 
'  Brothers,  Algonquins,  I  guess  alL  I  know 
who  has  incited  you   against  Fnuioa,  the 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  OHAMPLAIN. 


King,  and  my  friend  Kildare ;  it  is  this  man, 
this  old  deserter  from  the  (German  army,  and 
now  spy  in  the  service  of  the  English,  this 
Kronmork.  ...  Is  that  he?  speak,  am  I 
right?' 

"  '  Yes,  'tis  he  I'  was  heard  from  all  sides. 

'«  'This  man,'  he  continued,  'is  a  traitor 
who  wishes  to  incite  you  to  make  war  on  your 
friends  and  deliver  you  up  to  your  enemies. 
Is  that  true  ?' 

"  'Yo8,  the  truth  indeed.' 

"'Well,  you  will  judge  presently  what 
kind  pf  crime  he  designed  to  perpetrate 
against  you.  As  to  the  crime  he  has  com- 
mitted against  me,  1  despise  it.  I^or  the  rest, 
you  will  lose  nothing.  The  cellars  of  Mont- 
luc  Tower  are  well  filled.  You  wanted  to 
take  from  Lord  Kildare  two  casks  which  he 
could  not  give  you.  I  shaU  give  you  ten  in 
my  father's  house.  Come  for  them.  Follow 
me.' 

"This  proposal  was  greeted  with  genuine 
transports  of  joy. 

"  '  Let  us  set,'  said  Montluc,  '  who  will  say 
that  the  gift  of  a  friend  is  good,  but  the  bribe 
of  an  enemy  better  ?'  " 

'"My  Algonquin  brothers,'  continued 
Montluc,  '  what  punishment  does  that  man 
deserve  who  has  labored  to  sow  the  seeds  of 
disunion  between  two  friends,  and  by  false- 
hood and  lying  stories  drive  them  to  slaughter 
upon  the  field  of  battle  ?' 

"  They  all  shouted : 

"'Death!' 

"Stag-foot,  who  had  been  instructed  by 
the  missionaries,  spoke : 

"  'It  is  not  the  death  of  the  warrior  that 
such  a  man  deserves,  but  the  death  of  the 
vile,  that  which  was  earned  by  the  traitor, 
Barabas !    The  gibbet ! ' 

"  *  Yes,  yes — the  gibbet  1' 

"  Montluc  touched  the  spy  with  his  foot, 
and  said  to  him : 

"  '  You  hear  that,  Kronmark  ?' 

"  The  wretch  uttered  a  low  groan  and  with 
his  teeth  endeavored  to  cut  the  cords  he  was 
bound  by,  but  the  Algonquins  compelled  him 
with  their  long  staves  to  keep  quiet. 

"Still he  had  strength  to  cry  for  ' Mercy.' 
This  cowardice,  a  new  thing  to  the  Indians, 
who  await  patiently  and  submit  bravely  to  the 
most  exquisite  tortures,  excited  the  wondor 
of  the  Algonquins,  but  not  their  compassion. 
Stag-foot  declared  that  this  miserable  creature 
disgraced  his  race. 

'  'At  length,  MonUuo  stretched  forth  his  hand 
•ndsaid: 

"  'If  you  are  willing,  Algonquin  brothers, 
I  shall  question  this  man  concerning  his  ac- 
complices and  the  sincerity  of  his  respoaees 


will  settle  the  qnjstion  of  his  fat«.  .  .  . 
Speak!     .     .     .     Are  you  willing?' 

"•We  are!' 

' '  And  in  fact,  aside  from  the  good  sense  be^ 
trayed  in  the  suggestion,  this  Montluc  has  the 
gift  of  persuading  the  savages  to  do  whatever 
he  bkes. 

"'And  before  speaking,'  said  Montluc  to 
the  spy  'remember  that  your  first  lie  will 
be  the  signal  for  hanging  you.' 

"  The  prisoner  intimated  that  he  would  be 
mindful  of  the  warning,  and  Montluc  demanded 
whence  he  came  ? 

"  'From  Boston,  in  Massachusetts.' 

"  '  By  whom  commissioned  ?' 

" 'By  the  Governor.'  , 

"  '  Received  any  money  ?' 

"  '  Five  thousand  pounds  sterling.' 

"  '  Who  gave  it  ?' 

'"The  Governor  and  the  Colonial  Assem- 
bly.' 

"  '  What  were  the  instructions?' 

"  '  To  sow  discord  and  dissensions  among 
the  Indian  tribes  of  Canada,  especially  the 
Iroquois  and  Algonquins  on  one  side  and 
the  French  on  the  other,  in  order  to  stir  them 
up  to  mutual  extermination  and  secure  the 
country  for  the  English.' 

' '  Had  he  succeeded  in  his  mission  ? 

"He  had  succeeded  among  the  Iroquois, 
who  were  about  to  arm  themselves,  but  had 
at  first  need  to  come  to  an  understanding 
about  the  plan  of  the  war.  .  .  .  He  had 
almost  succeeded  with  the  Algonquins  when 
Montluc's  arrival  deranged  all  his  projects. 

"  "Tis  well,'  remarked  Montluc;  'we  do 
not  desire  to  know  any  more  about  them.  For 
my  part,  iu  exchange  for  the  revelations  you 
have  made,  I  accord  you  mercy.  It  is  for  my 
Algonquin  brothers  to  consider  what  they  will 
do  with  you.' 

"But  Pied-de-eerf  (Stag-toot),  and  others 
wished  him  to  be  hanged.  Some  even  were 
anxious  to  bum  him  aUve,  and  others  were 
already  whetting  their  long  knives  for  the 
execution. 

"  '  Let  us  obey  a  good  impulse,  Algonquin 
brothers,'  said  Montluc.  'Be  satisfied  with 
scalping  him  without  taking^  away  his  life, 
and  suffer  him  to  depart  for  his  own  country. 
He  will  bear  the  token  of  your  generosity  all 
his  life  upon  his  scalped  cranium.' 

"There  was  a  moment  of  doubt,  then  the 
suggestion  was  accepted  and  ten  of  the  most 
renowned  warriors  drew  lots  for  the  happy 
fortune  of  scalping  the  German.  At  length, 
Stag-foot  drew  the  prize  and  with  a  glad  coun- 
tenance, smiling  and  z^ous,  he  drew  forth 
his  knife  and  having  drawn  the  prisoner  aside, 
deftly  raised  his  scalp,  despite  the  bowlings  of 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


» 


tbe  poor  wretch.  Then  he  returned  with  this 
bloody  trophy  suspended  from  his  belt. 

"  I  looked  at  my  new  friend,  Montluc.  He 
was  no  more  moved  by  the  sight  than  a  cook 
would  be  who  saw  a  chicken  killed  by  a  cook. 

"  '  Even  much  less  than  the  cook,'  he  re- 
marked in  a  whisper  to  me,  for  a  chicken  is 
innocent  and  gentle  and  it  is  only  superior 
force  that  gives  us  any  right  over  it.  But  the 
traitor  is  an  enemy  and  a  knave  over  whom  I 
have  justly  the  power  of  death.     .     .     .'" 

Here  Lord  Kildare  turned  to  Marion  who 
was  Ustening  to  him  with  open  mouth. 

"There I  charming  Marion,  it  was  thus  I 
became  acquainted  with  my  friend  Montluc, 
precisely  as  the  swimmer  does  with  a  man 
who  extends  a  pole  to  him  and  pulls  him 
ashore. 

"You  may  judge  what  thanks  I  showered 


strangle  my  Irish  friends,  and  please  your 
enemies  and  mine,  the  English  and  thfr 
Iroquois.     ...     Is  not  that  true?' 

"  The  savages,  ashamed  of  their  oondnot,. 
kept  silent.  Stag-foot,  who  was  an  orator^  io~ 
.plied : 

"'We  were  deceived,  brother  Montlao. 
The  most  virtuous  men  may  be  deceived.' 

"'Well,  there  is  but  one  way  to  mak» 
amends  for  your  fault, '  said  Montluc.  '  It  is. 
to  go  with  me.' 

"  '  Where?'  demanded  the  assembly,  happy 
to  be  able  to  justify  themselves. 

"  '  To  Hudson  Bay.  The  English  have  built  a 
fort.  There  are  five  hundred  soldiers  in  garrisoa 
and  two  men-of-war  of  fifty  guns  a-piece- 
They  do  not  expect  us.  We  shall  take  thent 
by  surprise,  scale  the  fort,  and  capture  the- 
frigates  at  the  mere  boarding.      And  we  shall 


' THET  ALL    SHOUTED    ' DEATH  I 


upon  him  for  my  garrison  and  myself,  for  he 
was  not  merely  satisfied  with  having  extricated 
us  from  our  trouble,  but  he  wished  with  all 
his  energetic  nature  to  reconcile  us  to  the 
Algonquins  as  he  said,  and  his  success  was 
perfect.  It  cost  me  a  himdred  bottles  of 
good  brandy,  which  he  promised  to  replace 
at  his  own  expense.  The  savages  supplied 
the  roast  meat  (not  that  it  is  not  plentiful 
in  Oanada),  and  after  the  feast  prepared  for 
their  departure,  Eronmark  was  set  at  Uberty, 
his  wallet  was  filled  with  five  days'  food,  be 
was  provided  with  a  two-oared  boat  which 
was  launched  on  the  lake  and  Montluc  called 
out  to  him  as  he  pushed  from  the  shore : 
'  Rascal,  go  and  be  hanged  in  some  other 
place.' 

"As  soon  as  Eronmark  was  out  of  hearing, 
MonUao  spoke  again  and  said  :  '  My  Algon- 
quins, we  are  among  our  own  now  and  may 
kpeak  aloud.  '  You  set  out  for  war,  and  not 
the  chase.  You  wanted  to  capture  Calaraoony, 


have  dinner,  for  the  English  are  always  sup* 
plied  with  abundance  of  pudding  and  roast 
beef.' 

"  '  Finally— for  I  don't  want  to  teU  aU  be- 
forehand— we  shall  become  masters  of  the 
warehouses  of  the  Hudson  Bdy  Company,  and 
have  enough  of  merchandise  and  goods  to  en- 
able us  to  purchase  a  hundred  thousand  casks 
of  the  best  French  brandy,  if  that  ia  oar 
taste.' 

"(Ah !  most  assuredly  it  was  their  taste  t  Alt 
this  picture  they  gaped  with  laughter,  and 
their  eyes  sparkled  in  daylight  like  those  of 
wolves  in  the  dark  \ 

"  It  was  then  agreed  that  th<;y  should  follow 
him  to  Hudson  Bay,  but  to  go  at  first  for  or- 
ders  and  directions  to  the  old  Baron  Montluc^ 
who  was  the  recognized  and  revered  head  of 
all  the  savage  tribes  who  were  friends  of 
France,  and  in  particular  of  the  Algonquins. 

"Montluc  said  to  me:  'Hand  over  tha 
command  of  your  garrison  to  your  L'^uteoan^ 


S4 


THE  CHEHPTAINS  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


Kirculdy,  and  accompany  me,  Kildare.  There 
is  room  in  my  little  craft  for  a  friend.  And 
then  you  will  be  well  pleased  to  become  ac- 
quainted with  mv  father  and  be  presented  to 
the  ladieB.' 

' '  I  needed  no  further  solicitations,  and  af r 
ter  giving  my  orders  to  Kirculdy,  I  embarked 
with  Monthic. 

' '  Twelve  hundred  Algonquins — who  had 
just  come  near  scalping  me — followed  us  in 
their  fishing  canoes  and  ascended  in  ourwr-ke 
Lake  Ontario,  to  the  very  foot  of  the  famous 
cascade  where  Lake  Erie  dashes  along  through 
a  deep  channel  into  Lake  Ontario.  This  chan- 
nel is  called  the  Niagara  River. 

"There  we  made  a  defile  by  the  right 
bank,  bearing  our  skiffs  on  our  shoulders 
nearly  three  leagues,  which  is  anything  but 
pleasant ;  we  took  to  the  water  again  in  Lake 
Erie,  and  as  a  favorable  wind  filled  our  sails, 
arrived  in  two  days  at  the  Island  of  Turtles, 
at  the  foot  of  the  rock  on  which  stands  the 
celebrated  Montluc  Tower,  the  baronial  resi- 
dence of  my  new  friend's  family.  It  was 
there  I  encountered  my  destiny.  Father — met 
her  who  one  day  will  be  Countess  of  Kildare." 


CHAPTER  V. 

which  tbeatb  of  the  powers  of  phcebus  and 
mabion's  coffee. 

Xiord  Kildare  had  gone  thus  far  with  his 
story  and  was  perhaps  about  to  continue.  I 
was  enjoying  the  grateful  warmth  of  the  fire 
with  my  feet  on  the  fender,  comfortably 
wrapped  in  my  soft  cloak,  my  coffee  properly 
sugared,  and  thanking  God  who  had  vouch- 
jsafed  me  birth  in  a  country  far  from  the  Iro- 
fjuois,  the  heretical  English,  and  even  Catho- 
lic Algonquins,  who  scalp  their  enemies  in  any- 
thing but  a  Catholic  manner,  when  a  bold 
voice  suddenly  rang  forth  from  the  outside, 
although  its  tone  was  a  little  muffled  by  the 
«i.ow 

•'Marion!  Marion!  if  you  have  a  little 
coffee  remaining  still  for  me,  if  his  reverence 
and  Lord  Kildare  have  not  swallowed  it  all, 
open  the  door !  Phcebus  and  myself  are  almost 
frozen.  But,  thank  God,  I  have  regained  my 
despat.'hcs." 

It  was  the  Baron.  You  may  judge  whether 
Bi^anpoil  and  Marion  rushed  down  stairs  to 
cpeu  the  door,  take  his  sword  to  a  safe 
corner  and  relieve  him  of  the  bag  of  despatch- 
es which  he  was  holding  in  his  hand. 

All  this  was  done  in  an  instant.  Phoebus 
was  made  the  recipient  of  nearly  similar  at- 
tentions, and  he  fully  deserved  them,  for  he 
•vBs  a  brave  and  courageous  animal ;  but 
UoDtlQO  did  not  wish  to  keep  him  in  the  room. 


"  It  is  too  warm  here,"  he  said.  "  Phoebua 
is  a  Greeulander  and  loves  only  snow  and  ice. 
.  .  .  I  am  sure  that  with  his  instinct  as 
a  dog,  he  despises  my  friend  Kildare  ^/arming 
himself  by  the  fire  like  a  genuine  dandy." 

"  And  what  of  me  ?"  I  asked  with  a  smile, 
but  with  some  shame  at  having  earned  the 
character  of  an  exquisite  in  the  eyes  of  Ph(B- 
bus.     .     .     . 

"Oh !  you,  Father,"  replied  Montloo,  wjth  a 
smile  also.  ' '  Phoebus  would  not  dare  to  thiuk 
other  than  with  respect  for  yourself  and 
gratitude  for  the  hospitality  you  have  offered 
him  and  the  marrowy  bones  which  Beaupoil 
has  been  heaping  upon  him.  Is  not  that  so, 
Phoebus  ?" 

The  dog  gazed  at  him  wagging  his  tail  with 
a  look  of  inteUigence. 

"  Right,  Phoebus — right,  my  good  dog  I 
Go  kiss  the  hand  of  the  Cure'  of  Gimel." 

And  Phoebus  kissed,  or,  if  you  prefer  it, 
licked  my  hand  without  giving  me  a  chance  to 
be  excused. 

I  inquired  of  Montluc  if  he  had  much 
trouble  in  his  search  after  the  bag  and  his  de. 
spatches. 

"Not  the  least,"  he  said.  "Phoebus,  to 
whom  I  had  given  his  lesson,  conducted  me 
right  to  the  scene  of  battle,  where  we  found 
twenty  or  thirty  wolves  devouring  the  remains 
of  their  slain  comrades.  When  they  saw  ua, 
and  after  my  first  pistol  shot,  they  took  to 
their  heels.  Phoebus,  guided  by  his  instinct, 
which  is  surer  than  the  reason  of  many  people, 
found  my  despatch  bag,  took  it  in  his  mouth 
.  .  .  and  here  we  are !  Marion,  your 
coffee  is  excellent." 

At  these  words  Marion,  at  once  vain  and 
modest,  answered : 

"  You  are  very  kind ;  I  have  done  my  best. 
You  know  when  we  do  what  we  can,  we  do 
what  we  ought."         «;J  «""t 

"Well  spoken,  Marion  I  Well,  I  wiU  give 
you  with  my  own  hand  two  or  three  packages 
of  it  and  of  the  best  (next  to  yours,  to  be 
sure),  that  will  come  from  Mochadirect  /ound 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  ;  -it  will  cost  you  no 
more  than  me — a  big  thank  you. 
That  astonishes  you,  Father. " 

' '  Not  particularly.  I  suppose  you  have  an 
estate  in  that  country  and  that  your  tenants — " 

At  these  words  Montluc  and  Kildare  burst 
into  a  laugh. 

"An  estate!"  exclaimed  Montl'tc.  .  . 
"Tenants — I  have  something  better  than  that. 
I  have  a  friend  1  my  friend  Gandar  of  Mar- 
seilles.  This  friend,  who  is  rich,  has  built  a 
little  brig  lighter  than  the  wind,  which  skims 
along  the  sea  as  Phoebus  flies  along  the  plain. 
In  times  of  war,  as  at  present,  he  eooun  tb« 


THE  CHIEFTAJI-iS  OF  CHAMPLAI^. 


25 


BTA(J-FOOT  HETUBN8  WITH  HIS  BLOODY  TBOPHT. 


eea,  the  great  pot  as  he  calls  it,  and  he  carries 
away  all  the  cargoes  of  English  or  Dutch 
vessels  returning  from  India,  Persia,  the  Red 
Sea  or  elsewhere.  He  goes  out  to  watch 
them  on  the  African  coast,  hidden  behind  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  like  a  huntsman  in  his 
carnage.  He  possesses  himself  of  all  the  best 
things  in  the  cargo,  coffee,  silh,  ivory,  gold  and 
silver.  He  puts  the  goods  taken  ashore  at  the 
nearest  place  of  landing,  invariably  taking  care 


to  bum  their  vessels  to  prevent  them  from  re 
turning  to  Europe  for  two  or  three  years,  and 
my  faith,  he  has  met  with  great  successes  and 
the  king  also,  for  he  takes  his  part.  Also  his 
warehouses  at  Marseilles  are  always  full  and 
he  can  make  presents  to  all  his  friends." 

"Then  it  is  in  this  way  you  have  your  share 
in  these  things?"    I  was  shocked. 

"Precisely  so,  Father.     On  my  last  voyage 
to  Europe,  I  had  an  opportunity  to  render 


26 


TEffi  CHIEFTAINS  OP  CHAMPLAIN. 


him  a  alight  Berrice  with  the  aid  of  Kildare 
and  Fhcebus.     .     .     ." 

"How?  of  Phoebus?" 

"  Yes,  my  Father,  of  Phcabus  whom  you  see 
there  and  who  is  not  any  more  proud  on 
account  of  it.  But  I  will  tell  you  of  it  later 
on.  What  were  yon  iaiking  about  on  my 
arrival,  Gerald  ?" 

"I  was  giving"  said  Kildare,  "an  account 
of  my  first  visit  to  your  father  at-  Montluc 
Tower." 

"  Ah !  ah  I"  said  the  Baron,  smiling,  "  wtll, 
continue  the  story  if  it  is  not  too  fatiguing  for 
his  reverence." 

I  protested  that  I  coiild  hear  nothing  more 
interesting.  But  I  wished  to  send  for  Marion 
and  Beaupoil,  who  begged  me  to  let  them  hear 
the  stories  of  the  travelers.  Then  I  caused 
more  firewood  to  be  brought,  for  the  weather 
was  sharp,  the  cold  piercing  and  the  stars 
were  shining  over  the  forest  of  Gimel ;  in  the 
country  abroad  nothing  was  heard  but  the 
noise  of  the  cascade  and  the  distant  howling 
of  the  wolves.  Indeed,  although  it  was  al- 
most midnight,  we  felt  ourselves  happy  sitting 
up  by  the  fire  and  talking  cheerfully  with 
barred  doors.  And  besides  what  can  be  more 
agreeable  than  to  listen  to  the  story  of  the 
adventures  of  the  chase  or  war  in  winter ; 
when  you  have  your  feet  on  the  fender  and  a 
good-humored  guest  to  look  at  ?" 

CHAPTER  VI. 

IiOBD   KILOABB  ABBIVE8  AT   THE   CASTIiK   OF 
MONTLtJC. 

Lord  Kildare  proceeding  with  his  story, 
said: 

"I  shall  never  forget  that  it  was  on  a  Satur- 
day in  the  month  of  April  Montluc  and  my- 
selif,  with  our  train  of  twelve  hundred  Algon- 
quins,  came  in  sight  of  the  Isle  of  Turtles.  It 
was  almost  half-past  five  in  the  afternoon, 
v/hen  I  beheld  with  a  feeling  of  astonishment 
Montluc  Tower;  a  regular  castle  built  upon 
the  model  of  those  in  France,  with  four  great 
towers  at  the  comers,  and  two  little  turrets 
like  pepper-boxes  crowning  each  of  the  greal 
towers.  I  beUeve  it  is  unique  in  the  two 
Americas.  The  only  differehee  between  it  and 
those  in  Europe  is  that  it  is  built  of  hard 
wood,  with  neither  mortar  nor  stone  used  in 
its  construction.  What  struck  me  most  in  the 
castle  was  its  situation,  standing  as  it  does  on 
a  single  lofty  rock  sixty  feet  high,  on  three 
sides  surrounded  by  Lake  Erie,  and  having 
no  communication  with  the  rest  of  the  island, 
save  by  a  road  thirty  feet  wide,  which,  with  a 
gentle  slope,  leads  to  the  castle  ramparts.  Be- 
fore entering  Montluc  Tower,  we  were,  of 
Gouzse,  obliged  under  range  of  two  heavily 


charged  cannon,  to  cross  a  deep,  wide  ditch 
fed  by  the  waters  of  the  Lake.  When  within 
five  hundred  paces  of  the  Island  we  could  notice 
that  we  had  been  seen,  and  that  the  inhabi- 
tants were  preparing  to  receive  us.  Montluc 
blew  like  a  huntsman  upon  his  horn,  and  a 
response  came  from  the  siunmit  of  the  rock. 

"'My  father  is  there,'  said  Montluc;  'I 
was  afraid  he  might  be  hunting,  or  making  a 
tour  of  the  country  as  he  usually  does.  He 
must  have  had  bad  news  about  the  Iroquois, 
and  is  therefore  on  the  look-out.  Perhaps 
he  is  disturbed  about  me;  I  must  reassure 
him.' 

' '  At  the  same  time  he  sounded  his  bngl«  once 
more,  and  the  castle-hom  sent  forth  a  joy- 
ous welcome  in  reply.  As  we  neared  the 
Island  I  observed  a  venerable-looking  gentle- 
man with  a  snow-white  moustache  and  flowing 
beard,  clad  in  the  fashion  of  the  late  King, 
Louis  XIII,  who  stooil  leaning  against  the 
parapet  close  to  one  of  the  ^annon,  and  kept 
watehing  us  as  we  entered  the  bay  and  steered 
up  to  the  castle.  It  was  Baron  Haunibal 
himself,  the  old  enemy  of  the  Great  Conde', 
Turenne  and  Mazarin ;  the  man  who  van- 
quished Santa  Cruz,  the  famous  Admiral  of 
Spain ;  the  grandest  looking  and  most  impos- 
ing gentleman  I  have  ever  met. 

'  'After  my  friend  Montluc,  who  is  here  with 
us,  had  given  the  requisite  orders  for  the  land- 
ing and  roception  of  the  Algonquins,  he  took 
me  by  the  J'rm  and  presented  me  to  his  father, 
who  received  me  as  a  king  receives  a  subject, 
a  father,  his  son. 

"After  the  first  words  of  courtesy  were  ex- 
clianged,  he  was  kind  enough  to  say:  '  Lord 
Kildare,  you  will  look  upon  yourself  as  at 
home  here.  ...  I  have  been  aware  of 
your  arrival  in  this  part  of  the  world.  Father 
Fleury,  my  chaplain,  who  knows  everything, 
knew  that  you  were  coming  from  France, 
and  that  M.  de  Fronte^iac,  the  Ctovemor  of 
Quebec,  had  given  you  letters  of  introduction 
to  me.  .  .  .  Please,  where  are  those  let- 
ters?' 

"I  confessed  in  a  somewhat  embarrassed 
manner  that  they  were  at  Calaracony.  The 
old  gentleman  smiled.  He  observed  that  no 
harm  was  done,  and  continued:  '  You  were  iu 
no  hurry  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  an  old 
gentleman  of  a  century  almost  gone  by,  is 
not  that  BO  ?  .  .  .  But  wait  a  little  and 
you  will  see  that  in  this  laud  we  always  need 
all  our  friends,  even  those  we  do  not  know.' 

"  '  My  Lord  Baron,'  I  hastened  to  say,  '  the 
garrison  of  Calaracony  and  myself  are  both 
already  indebted  to  your  son  for  our  Uves.' 

"And  in  a  few  words  I  described  the  din- 
gers we  had  escaped  and  our  happy  de''   ' 


26 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  GHAMPLAm. 


Eince  by  Loois  de  Montluc.  The  old  baron 
replied  gravely  that  his  son  had  only  done  his 
duty,  possessing,  as  he  did,  all  the  rights  of 
high  magistrate  over  Lake  Ontario  as  well  as 
Lake  Erie,  on  condition  of  recognizing  the 
ittzeraiuship  of  the  King  of  France.  'But,' 
he  added,  'while  he  is  arranging  for  the 
reception  of  our  friends,  the  Algonquins,  with 
whom  I  must  have  a  little  talk  myself  this 
evening,  come  Avith  me.  Lord  Kildare ;  while 
waiting  supper,  I  shall  present  you  to  my  wife 
and  daughters.' " 

Here  Lord  Kildare  broke  off  a  moment  and 
said: 

"  Assuredly  you  have  seen  many  things  in 
your  day,  Father.     .     .     ." 

"Yes,  my  Lord,"  I  replied,  "  I  have  seen 
the  Cathedral  of  Tulle." 

"But  have  you  not  seen  something  even 
more  beautiful  than  the  Cathedral  ?" 


"Yes,"  said  Montlno,  smiling,  "do  just 
fancy  that;  nothing  morel  .  .  .  But 
fancy  Mrith  me  at  the  same  time,  also,  that  my 
sister 'Athenais  is  not  so  big  as  lam— although, 
indeed,  she  is  far  handsomer,  which  makes  up 
for  her  lack  of  size  ;  that  Gerald  three  months 
ago  demanded  her  hand  in  marriage ;  that 
she  has  consented,  subject  to  certain  condi- 
tions she  has  imposed,  which  he  has  declined 
to  tell  me,  and  that  the  ceromony  will  be  sol- 
emnized the  day  after  we  return  to  the  castle, 
that  is  to  say  about  the  month  of  June — at 
least  we  all  hope  so.  .  „  .  But  if  I  suf- 
fer my  friend  to  tell  you  in  detail  concerning 
all  the  fine  things  he  enjoyed  that  day,  we 
shall  never  finish  the  story,  and  Marion,  who 
is  now  trying  to  keep  her  eyes  open,  will  fall 
asleep  in  her  chair ! " 

"Lord  Montluc,  why  stop  my  praises  of 
those  I  love?    But  hear  the  sequel  of  my 


MONTLUC   SOTTNDS   HIS  HOBM. 


"  I  have  seen  the  peak  of  Sancy,  which  is 
the  grandest  of  all  the  mountains  in  France, 
and  the  Dordogne,  which  takes  its  source  there, 
and  is  the  noblest  of  all  our  rivers.  Why  do 
yon  put  this  question  ?    .     ,     ." 

"Father,"  said  he,  "the  day  I  set  foot  in 
the  Castle  of  Montlnc,  away  in  the  very  bosom 
of  Lake  Erie,  my  eyes  were  greeted  by  a  vision 
a  thousand  times  more  beautiful  than  the  finest 
cathedral^  the  grandest  mountain,  or  the 
noblest  river  in  France;  I  beheld  the  most 
amiable,  dignified,  charming  creature  that 
ever  came  upon  earth  to  brighten  Europe  or 
America.  She  had  magnificent  black  hair, 
blue  eyes,  an  aqniUne  nose,  aud  a  smile  proud, 
but  gracious.  But  excuse  ine.  Father,  this 
description  can  scarcely  interest  yon.  .  .  . 
Fancy  that  she  greatly  resembles  my  friend, 
Louis  of  Montluc,  and  leam  that  she  is  bis 
nster." 


story — I  am  bold  enough  to  hope  it  will  afford 
you  some  interest. 

"For  my  part,  when  the  old  gentleman 
had  spoken  of  presenting  me  to  his  daughters, 
I  was  no  less  surprised  than  curious,  for  my 
friend  Montluc  had  not  breathed  a  syllable 
about  his  mother  or  his  sisters.  I  did  not  even 
know  that  they  were  living.  The  Baron  led 
the  way  and  intvoduced  me  into  the  grand  sa- 
loon, in  which  the  Baroness  was  seated,  sur- 
rounded by  several  ladies. 

"  'Ladies,'  said  Lord  Montlnc,  advancing  a 
few  paces,  '  I  present  you  Monsieur  Gerald 
Fitzgerald,  Earl  of  Kildare  in  Ireland,  captain 
in  the  service  of  his  Very  Christian  Majesty, 
the  King  of  France,  and  Commandant  of  Fort 
Calaracony.  Lord  Kildare,  this  is  my  wife — 
these  my  two  daughters,  Athenais  and  Lucy.' 

"  Her  ladyship  held  out  her  band,  which  I 
respeotfoUy  kissed. 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  CHAMPLAIN. 


27 


'"Lord  Kildare,' she  said,  'we  have  been 
expecting  y  iu  for  two  months.  I  see,  at  last, 
that  Louis  ]  .as  gone  after  yon  and  been  fortu- 
nate enoupa  to  take  yon  back  with  him.' 

' '  I  stammered  forth  at  random  some  wcA-ds 
of  explanation,  so  dazzled  was  I  by  the  majes- 
tic presence  of  Madame  Montluc,  and  still 
more  by  the  sight  of  her  daughter,  Athenais. 
Nevertheless  I  had  sufficient  presence  of  mind, 
or  rather  instinct,  to  understand  that  the  best 
means  to  enter  into  the  good  graces  of  the 
ladies  was  to  recoimt  the  service  Louis  had 
rendered  me ;  and  I  did  relate  it.  It  was  a 
happy  stroke  of  genius.  I  had  no  sooner 
pronounced  the  name  of  this  gentleman, 
whom  you  see  so  carelessly  stretched  before 
the  fire,  trying  hard  to  feign  sleep,  than  the 
three  ladies  (for  there  were  three,  mother  and 
two  daughters)  fastened  upon  me  their  eyes 
beaming  with  pleasure,  joy,  and  curiosity  to 
learn  what  achievements  he  had  accompUshed 
at  the  Fort  of  Calaracony,  and  how  he  had 
saved  from  the  tomahawk  of  the  savages  my- 
self and  my  garrison. 

'  *  I  repeated  in  few  words  what  I  had  already 
told  Monsieur  de  Montluc,  which  produced 
great  wonder  and  joy. 

"I  now  remember  I  have  said  nothing  to 
you  about  Mademoiselle,  or  rather  Miss  Lucy, 
for  she  is  Irish  like  myself,  as  I  learned  that 
very  evening,  and  connected  with  the  Mont- 
luc family  only  by  the  ties  of  the  closest  ten- 
derness. The  old  Baron  had  picked  her  up 
when  but  a  year  old,  during  the  burning  of  a 
Massachusetts  village,  and  wrapped  her  in  his 
cloak,  after  the  savages,  his  allies,  had  massa- 
cred her  parents.  He  took  her  with  him  to 
his  Castle  of  Montluc,  educated  her  with  his 
own  children,  and  treated  her  always  as  his 
own  daughter.  Yoii  may  easily  conjecture  that 
it  will  not  be  long  before  she  shall  be  bound 
to  him  by  a  nearer  tie,  and  that  the  marriage 
of  my  friend,  Montluc,  is  to  come  off  at  the 
same  time  as  mine,  that  is  to  say,  the  day  we 
shall  plant  our  feet  together  on  the  Isle  of 
Turtles.  The  ceremony  is  waiting  only  for 
us. 

"After  all  these  introductions  and  the  ex- 
change of  compUments  (for  I  had  my  share 
of  them.  Lord  Montluc  having  had  the  good- 
ness to  say  that  he  had  heard  me  spoken  of  in 
very  flattering  terms  by  his  friends  at  Quebec, 
among  others,  de  Frontenac,  the  Governor 
of  that  town),  we  were  summoned  to  supper, 
and  I  offered  my  arm  to  Lady  Montluo  with 
all  the  reverence  and  respect  I  should  have 
manifested  at  Versailles  toward  Marie  Therese, 
had  I  enjoyed  the  honor  of  having  been  pre- 
lOented  to  her. 

' '  The  chaplain  of  the  castle,  Father  Fleoiy , 


just  then  rejoined  us  with  my  friend  Montluc, 
whom  here  and  hereafter,  to  distinguish  from 
his  father  as  well  as  because  it  is  the  name  he 
hears  in  all  Canada  and  in  the  English  Colonies 
down  to  Chesapeake  Bay,  I  shall  call  the  red 
Montluc. 

"Toward  the  end  of  supper,  the  Baron  said 
to  me: 

' '  '  Lord  Kildarc,  we  are  going  to  speak  freely 
about  ova  own  affairs  in  your  presence,  and 
the  dangers  to  which  we  are  all  exposed.  I 
know  you ;  you  are  not  out  of  place  here.' 

' '  I  thanked  him  for  his  confidence. 

"'I  know  you,'  he  resumed;  'as  for  my 
wife  and  daughters,  who  are  daughters  and  sis- 
ters of  soldiers,  they  may  also  share  in  our 
conference.  Besides,  the  danger  is  too  great 
to  allow  of  dissimulation.  Only  one  member 
of  my  family  is  absent :  Charles,  my  youngest 
son,  who  asked  my  permission  three  months 
ago  to  make  a  voyage  of  discovery  along  the 
lUinois  river  and  the  Ohio  under  the  conduct 
of  Father  Lallemand,  one  of  our  most  devoted 
missionaries.  Charles,  who  is  only  fourteen 
years  old,  but  like  his  brother  in  physique, 
wished  to  go,  rifle  in  hand,  to  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico.  Thence  he  hopes  to  cross  the  Isth- 
mus of  Panama,  strike  America  in  the  south, 
and  return  to  Canada  by  the  Pacific  Ocean  and 
the  Polar  Sea.  Children  have  no  misgivings, 
but  beUeve  all  is  possible  to  them. 

"  '  Father  Lallemand  has  promised  to  watch 
over  him  all  the  time  he  shall  not  be  engaged 
preaching  the  Gospel  to  the  Iroquois,  the  HH- 
nois  and  the  Esquimaux. 

' '  '  Three  months  ago  we  had  nothing  to 
fear;  I  permitted  Charles  to  depart  on  his 
journey.  .  ,  .  Who  knows  where  he  is 
now  ?  In  the  country  of  the  white  bear  and 
the  seal  or  in  the  Sea  of  Mexico.  Perhaps  he 
is  occupied  discovering  the  passage  of  the 
North  Pole,  which  will  one  day  be  the  great 
highway  between  Europe,  America  and  Asia. 

"  '  What  consoles  me  for  his  absence  is  that 
he  shall  not  be  able  to  be  at  the  battle  I  fore- 
see. Young  and  ardent  as  he  is,  he  could  not 
be  kept  back,  and  who  knows  but  we  should 
have  some  calamity  to  bewail  ?  It  is  enough  to 
have  lost  my  eldest  bom  seven  years  ago  in 
the  service  of  the  King,  and  to  have  had  two 
other  Uttle  ones  massacred,  long  ago,  by  the 
savages.  ...  I  wish  to  keep  what  I  now 
have,  or  at  least  run  no  unnecessary  risks. 
.  .  .  Ah!  If  the  Great  Monarch,  Louis 
XIV,  instead  of  erecting  palaces  all  around 
Paris,  and  throwing  away  millions  of  money 
and  the  hvesof  four  hundred  thousand  picked 
soldiers  in  order  that  he  might  reap  the  bar- 
ren glory  of  capturing  a  half  dozen  little  vil- 
lages iu  the  Netiierlauds,  had  all  these  years 


26 


THE  OHISFTAINS  OF  OHAMPLAIN. 


MADAUK   MONTLUO. 


sent  here  ten  thougand  poor  families  to  people 
this  continent,  wliich  will  one  day  be  tbe 
mightiest  empire  in  the  universe,  he  would 
become  the  greatest  sovereign  in  the  world, 
and  in  one  hundred  years,  with  or  without  our 
wishes,  we  should  have  made  converts  of  all 
the  nations  to  the  Catholic  faith,  commencing 
with  our  neighbors,  the  English  Puritans  of 


Massachusetts    and    Connecticut, 

What  do  you  say  to  that.  Monsieur  Fleury  ? 

' '  The  aged  missionary,  who  was  looking 
out  at  Lake  Erie  through  the  open  window  and 
seemed  absorbed  in  his  reflections,  raised  his 
head  and  answered: 

"  'Monsieur  le  Baron,  these  are  views  of  hu- 
man policy  which  Monsieur  Colbert  would 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  OHAMPLAIN. 


29 


^onbUess  have  approved,  if  he  were  miffored 
by  his  master  to  do  so ;  but  Divine  Providence 
has  His  views  also,  which  He  wraps  in  impene>i< 
trable  mystery,  and  which  the  mind  of  man 
cannot  pierce.  Perhaps  He  is  unvrilling  to 
give  the  empire  of  the  earth  to  a  single  race, 
in  the  fear  that  puffed  up  by  pride  in  its 
strength,  it  might  follow  the  example  of  the 
rebel  angels,  and  forget  the  respect  it  owes 
the  Creator.' 

"  '  Well,'  said  the  Baron,  with  a  smile,  'Let 
us  do  our  best.     What  do  you  think,  Louis?' 

'"I  think  you  are  right,  father,  now  as  ever, 
and  I  am  ready  to  execute  your  orders  what- 
ever they  are.' 

"  The  old  Baron  then  said: 

"  'Before  coming  to  any  definite  determina- 
tion, we  most  ascertain  where  we  stand,  and 
no  one  knows  that  better  than  our  good  chap- 
lain, who  plays  the  role  of  the  modest  man, 
and  would  feign  have  us  believe  he  leaves  all 
things  to  the  will  of  Gk»d ;  but,  in  reality,  no 
one  digs  more  industriously — nay,  devotedly 
— in  the  Lord's  vineyard.  Let  us  hear.  Fa- 
ther Fleury,  what  the  Iroquois,  among  whom 
yon  have  lately  been,  are  doing?  .  .  , 
The  tidings  were  not  assuring  when  you  set 
out  on  your  tour  last  month,  and,  indeed,  to 
speak  frankly,  you  had  been  threatened  with 
such  menaces  that  I  scarcely  dared  hope  to 
see  you  again  when  you  gave  us  your  blessing.' 

' '  Father  Fleury  smUed  sweetly,  and  replied : 

"  '  I  was  not  myself  sure  of  returning ;  but 
when  one  has  passed  his  eighty-fourth  year, 
and  is  fuU  of  trust  in  the  promises  of  Him 
who  has  said:  "Go  and  teach  all  nations," 
martyrdom  suggests  hope  rather  than  fear. 
I  was  starting  then  direct  for  the  country  of 
the  Agniers.' 

"I  interrupted  Father  Fleury  to  inquire 
who  the  Agniers  were. 

"He  answered: 

"  '  Lord  Kildare,  the  Iroquois  are  a  nation 
of  savages;  cunning,  proud,  intrepid,  and 
divided  into  five  tribes,  the  chief  of  which  is 
the  Agniers,  who  dwell  to  the  south  of  Lake 
Ontario,  about  a  hundred  leagues  from  here. 
I  had  been  informed  that  I  must  commence 
with  these,  or,  if  you  will,  take  the  bull  by 
the  horns.  I  embarked  here.  I  landed 
about  fifty  feet  from  the  first  village  of  the 
Agniers;  get  lost  in  a  by-way;  and  luckily 
meet  a  good  Indian  squaw,  who,  at  ever  so  great 
a  distance  from  me,  made  the  sign  of  the 
cross,  cast  herself  upon  her  knoes,  asked  my 
benediction,  and  cried  out:  "  Father  Fleury, 
whence  do  you  come  ?  Whither  are  you  go- 
ing ?  Will  you  accept  the  hospitality  of  your 
servant  ?" 

'"1  cordially  accept  this  very  reasonable 


offer.  She  was  a  poor  widow,  whose  only 
son,  a  boy  of  ten  years,  I  had  cured  of  a 
wound  which  he  had  received  the  year  before 
in  the  chase.  Upon  the  same  occasion,  I  had 
converted  and  baptized  mothpr  and  son.    .  .  . 

"  '  Mo/eover,  God  was  with  me,  for  every, 
thing  seemed  to  succeed  that  day.  l%e  vil- 
lage, usually  quite  full,  seemed  then  almost 
deserted,  or  at  least  there  were  none  but  wo- 
men and  children  around.  I  inquired  if  they 
were  hunting  or  on  a  warlike  expedition. 

"'"They  are  hunting,"  answered  the 
friendly  squaw,  ' '  and  preparing  provisions, 
for  they  won't  be  long  before  they  set  out  to 
make  war." 

' '  'At  these  words  I  suspected  what  had  hap. 
pened ;  I  interrogated  the  good  woman,  and 
ascertained  that  a  low,  cowardly  fellow  named 
Kronmark,  in  the  employment  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts, English  and  the  Hudson  Bay  Com. 
pany,  had  arrived  among  them  ten  days  ago ; 
that  he  proposed  to  the  Iroquois  an  alliance  with 
the  English  against  France ;  that  the  Iroquois 
signed  the  treaty,  and  that  twelve  thousand  of 
them,  fully  equipped,  and  provided  with  arms 
by  the  English,  are  about  to  march  on  Que- 
bec, which  is  garrisoned  by  not  more  than  a 
hundred  militiamen,  and  that  they  purpose  to 
exterminate  all  the  French.  You  may  con- 
ceive my  uneasiness.  I  reflect  for  a  moment, 
while  the  poor  Indian  was  hastening  to  serve 
me  with  %  little  smoked  'possum,  the  only  kind 
of  food  I  believe  she  had  in  her  larder. 

"  '  At  length  I  took  my  departure,  for  time 
pressed,  and  I  desired  my  hostess  to  summon 
all  the  other  women  to  the  open  space  in  the 
village,  and  inform  them  that  I  wished  to  an- 
nounce something  of  serious  moment  to  them, 
on  behalf  of  the  Great  Spirit.  As  all  the  hus- 
bands were  absent,  the  squaws  were  engaged 
gossiping  at  the  doors  of  their  wigwams, 
and  the  news  that  I  had  arrive!  brought  them 
crowding  in  in  five  miautes. 

"  'Then  I  prayed  God  to  inspire  me,  and  I 
told  them  that  they  must,  above  all  things, 
beware  of  the  English,  who  entertained  no 
other  purpose  than  the  extermination  of  the 
red  man,  and  supplied  them,  in  the  sale  of 
whisky,  with  the  means  of  cultivating  drunk- 
enness, the  mother  of  all  vices.  I  had  no 
trouble  in  convincing  them  that  all  the 
bad  treatment  they  received  from  their  hus- 
bands was  attributable  to  brandy  and  whis- 
ky, and  if  these  foolish  creatures  contented 
themselves  with  water  or  cider — two  beverages 
which,  thank  God,  this  coimtry  abundantly 
supplies — they,  the  women,  would  be  ten  times 
happier. 

"  'They  were  so  struck  all  round  by  this 
part  of  my  discourse,  that  they  went  for  all 


80 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  GHAMPLAIN. 


the  brandy  and  whisky  their  husbandR  had 
left  in  the  cabins,  and  threw  it  all,  under  my 
eyes,  into  Lake  Ontario. 

"  *I  praised  them  for  this  courageous  act, 
and  closed  my  remarks  by  telling  them  that 
they  had  no  other  way  to  prevent  the  replao- 
bg  of  the  whisky,  than  by  keeping  the  Iro- 
quois from  making  terms  with  iiie  English. 
This  they  promined  to  do. 

' ' '  This  was  not,  however,  easy,  for  the  treaty 
of  alliance  was  signed  after  the  fashion  of  the 
lavages,  and  according  to  their  customs. 

'"In  fifteen  days  I  visited  the  whole  coun- 
try, village  after  village ;  I  succeeded  in 
bringing  together  secretly  the  principal  chiefs 
on  an  island  in  Lake  Ontario ;  I  made  them 
comprehend  that  they  could  gain  nothing  by 
destroying  the  French,  that  the  English,  if 
they  became  any  stronger,  would  exterminate 
them,  and  that,  without  asking  them  to  break 
the  treaty  they  had  recently  signed,  they 
might  be  satisfied  with  taking  their  time  in 
executing  it. 

' ' '  They  swore  they  should  do  as  I  suggested, 
and  I  know  they  will  not  break  their  oath. 

"  'Then  having  fulfilled  the  mission  which 
I  had  undertaken  in  the  interest  of  France  and 
of  our  holy  religion,  I  have  returned  in  good 
health,  as  you  see,  Lord  Montluc.'" 


CHAPTER  Vn. 

LORD  KXLDABE  CONTINUES  THE  NABRATTVE  OF 
HIS  ADVENTURES,  AND  UNDER  THE  EXCITE- 
MENT OP  THE  STORY  THE  CURE  OF  OIMEL  IS 
LED    TO   FORM   A   BOLD   PURPOSE. 

"The  old  Baron  rose,  and  affectionately 
embracing  the  venerable  missionarj',  said  to 
him:  'Father  Fleury,  what  fear  we  all  had 
of  losing  you  !  .  .  .  But  are  you  sure  the 
other  tribes  of  the  Iroquois  will  follow  the 
example  of  the  Agniers?'  The  aged  mission- 
ary smiled  with  his  usual  good  nature,  and  re- 
plied: 'Do  you  think  I  have  left  my  work 
unfinished  ?  Do  you  know  me  so  little  ?  I 
made  the  tour  of  the  five  tribes  in  the  wake  of 
the  principal  chiefs  of  the  Agniers,  who  were 
charged  with  the  task  of  preparing  the  other 
tribes  to  listen  with  favor  to  my  proposals, 
and  I  have  the  promise  of  all.' 

"  '  God  be  praised  !'  said  Montluc ;  '  for  it 
was  none  too  soon.  It  is  reported  from  Quebec 
that  seven  thousand  English  soldiers  are  about 
to  sail  from  Boston;  that  five  thousand  militia 
from  Massachusetts  are  going  to  join  them; 
that  the  Iroquois  are  with  them  (but  as  to  the 
latter,  thanks  to  you,  1  am  satisfied  now),  and 
that  all  together  are  about  to  precipitate 
themselves  upon  the  colony  and  sweep  away 
the  entire  Frenoh  people  in  Canada.  Monaieiir 


Frontenac  writes  that  he  has  not  exceeding 
five  hundred  men  in  Quebec — soldiers  or 
militia — to  defend  the  St.  Lawrence,  and 
hardly  twice  as  many  more  to  preserve  the 
frontiers  of  Acadia.  Fortunately,  my  son-in- 
law,  M.  Ville-Castin,  is  there  with  his  Abena- 
quis.  He  protects  Acadia  as  I  protect  the 
great  lakes,  and  La  Ville-Castin  is  not  to  be 
trifled  with — he  is  a  terrible  sentinel.  He  is 
in  his  peninsula  like  the  angel  armed  with  a 
flaming  sword  at  the  entrance  to  the  earthly 
paradise.  And  it  is  not  La  Ville-Castin  who 
wiU  falter  1' 

"  And  thus  it  was,  Father,  that  I  became 
little  by  httle  acquainted  with  the  whole 
family  and  the  friend  of  all,  even  before  I 
saw  them,  for  in  Canada  five  hundred  leagues 
cannot  separate  hearts.  Down  there,  at  the 
first  summons,  brothers,  friends,  rush  for- 
ward, arms  in  hand,  to  one's  assistance.  Is  it 
a  hunting  excursion,  an  expedition,  or  a  ball — 
it  matters  not — every  one  is  always  ready. 
Sometimes  it  is  for  all  three  together,  for  the 
Canadians  have  time  for  everything.  Look 
at  my  friend,  Moutluu  tuu  ivcu  ;  ue  la  a  fine 
specimen  of  the  race,  and  a  high-spirited  gen- 
tleman ?    What  do  you  say,  Beaupoil  ?" 

"Ah!  Lord  Kildare."  answered  Beaupoil, 
admiringly,  "after  what  I  have  seen  him  do 
against  the  band  of  wolves  that  were  hunger- 
ing to  devour  me,  I  believe  he  can  do  any- 
thmg." 

Then  Montluc,  whom  his  friend  called 
Montluc  the  Bed,  and  who  was  either  asleep 
at  the  fire  or  pretended  to  be  asleep,  arose 
and  said  with  a  smile : 

"So!  so!  Beaupoil,  and  you,  Kildare,  will 
you  soon  finish  your  eulogy  upon  me  ?  The 
cure  of  Gimel  must  be  anxious  to  retire." 

But  I  protested  that  nothing  was  more  in- 
teresting to  me  than  his  adventures,  and  Lord 
Kildare  added : 

"  I  shall  be  brief,  but  by  St.  Gerald  my 
patron  I  nothing  will  prevent  me  from  relat- 
ing how  we,  or  rather  you,  captured  Fort 
Hudson,  in  the  Bay  of  that  name,  despite  the 
cold,  snow,  storm,  English  artillery,  three 
men-of-war,  five  hundred  of  a  garrison,  pro- 
visions for  a  year,  powder  for  forty  thousand 
discharges  of  cannon,  and  fifteen  hundred 
thousand  musket  shots,  furs  enough  to  clothe 
all  the  women  in  the  British  Isles,  a  million 
francs,  and  I  know  not  what  more. 

"  We  were  only  forty  setting  out,  Father — 
forty  and  no  more  I  .  .  .  Then,  we  had  only 
cur  muskets,  our  snow-shoes  to  glide  along 
the  ice,  ten  days'  rations,  and  fifty  rounds  of 
ammunition  each.  It  was  not  much,  as  you 
see,  but  time  was  preoeisg.  We  must  oon- 
qii«r  or  perish. 


THE  CHIEPTAIN8  OP  OHAMPLAIN. 


dl 


"The  day  following  the  arrival  of  Montlnc 
and  luyHelf  iit  the  GaHtle  of  Muntluc,  there 
wiiH  II  council  of  war  for  hIx  hourH  iu  the  fore- 
uoou,  and  the  principal  AlKouquius  were  ad- 
luiHod  to  it.  The  old  Barou  explained  that 
an  early  attack  by  the  Engliuh  was  expected, 
that  we  niUKt  arm  ourHelvoK,  that  bowH  and 
touiahawkH  would  not  Hufflce  for  kuccchh,  that 
there  was  not  ouounh  of  f,'uns  and  powder  for 
every  one,  that  the  arsonal  at  Qviebec  waH 
empty,  and  that  tliere  waH  but  one  way  to 
provide  ourHolves  with  what  we  wanted  :  and 
that  was  to  take  it  from  the  enemy.  He 
added  that  forty  men  would  be  enough,  led  by 
hia  Hon,  whom  tlicy  all  knew,  and  that  the 
latter  would  himself  Holect  his  companionH, 
one-half  of  whom  would  bo  French  and  the 
other  half  Algon(iuius. 

' '  Every  one  prcHeut  raised  his  hand  for  en- 
rollment, for  with  such  a  leader  all  appeared 
Kure,  iu  advance,  of  victory  ;  but  Montluc  le 
Rouge  declared  that,  to  afford  no  ground  for 
jealousy,  he  \rould  take  the  forty  best  shots. 
Then,  and  without  any  one  drawing  back  from 
the  trial,  commenced  the  competition  with  the 
Algon<iuiuR. 

' '  You  have  heard,  Father,  of  the  olden 
tournaments,  where  lances  were  broken  in  the 
light  of  fair  ladies'  eyes.  This  was  something 
similar.  The  only  difference  was,  that  our 
lances  were  muskets. 

"And  for  our  ladies,  the  judges,  they  were 
Madame  de  Montluc  and  her  daughters. 

' '  All  these  savages  entertain  an  extraor- 
dinary respect  for  them,  and  especially  for 
their  mother,  regarding  her  as  the  last  de- 
scendant of  the  ancient  chiefs  of  the  race  of 
the  Fries,  and  the  resj/cct  of  the  French- 
Canadians  is  none  the  less,  for  she  is  grand- 
daughter of  Samuel  Champlain,  founder  of 
Quebec,  and  was  born  in  Canada. 

' '  But  I  shall  not  weary  you  with  an  ac- 
count of  our  trial  at  the  target.  Stag-foot 
won  the  first  place.  He  fired  three  shots 
(that  was  the  number  agreed  upon),  and  hit 
with  all  three  a  white  mark  of  four  uiches 
diameter  at  three  hundred  feet  distance.  Next 
came  Carragamy,  fifth  son  of  Monsieur  de 
Montluc's  aged  lieutenant  on  board  the  Ego  et 
Hex.     Who  took  third  place  I  know  not. 

"Having  then  chosen  his  companions, 
among  whom  he  did  me  the  honor  of  in- 
cluding, Montluc  made  the  following  address : 
'Brothers,  French  and  Canadian,  I  do  not 
thank  you  for  taking  me  as  your  leader.  It  is 
not  to  me  personally  that  you  award  this 
honor,  but  to  the  blood  which  flows  in  my 
veins,  to  my  father,  who  has  fought  for  you 
for  forty  years,  and  whose  house  has  always 
been  open  to  you;  to  my  mother,  my  sister, 


and  my  dear  Luoy,  \ehom  att«ntioiui  have 
never  been  wanting  in  your  affectioun.  llien, 
myself,  I  have  no  other  right  among  you  than 
to  march  in  the  advance-guard  against  the 
English.  Upon  our  return  you  will  know  if 
Montluc  le  llonge  is  worthy  of  this  honor,  and 
fit  to  be  called  your  leader.'  Every  one 
shouted  out :  '  Yes  I  yec  1  Long  live  Montluc 
le  llouge  !' 

"A  few  minutes  after,  our  preparations 
having  been  ended,  the  Algouquins  were  sent 
baik  to  their  own  territory,  ladou  down  with 
all  kinds  of  presents  and  compliments,  the 
most  prized  of  which  was  an  immeuse  supply 
of  brandy.  We  then  took  our  leave,  myself 
first,  of  the  Baron  and  the  ladies,  and  set 
forth  with  the  blessing  of  Father  Fleury, 
whose  advanced  jears  would  not  suffer  him 
to  accompany  us. 

"Thus  we  loft  that  hospitable  house,  and 
procei^ded,  snow-shoes  in  hand,  to  Hudson 
Bay,  where  the  English  awaited  us  with  bayo- 
net and  gun. 

' '  You  do  not  know.  Father,  that  stretch  of 
table-land  which  separates  Lake  Erie  from  the 
Bay  of  Hudson,  which  is  three  hundred  leagues 
further  north. 

"Fancy  at  the  close  of  spring  time — we 
then  were  in  that  season,  but  the  Canadian 
spring  is  like  the  winter  in  Auvergne — fancy, 
I  say,  something  like  the  upland  Mille-  Vaches, 
that  great  stretch  of  high  ground  which  we 
traversed  yesterday,  January  15th,  161)7,  on 
our  way  from  Aubossin  to  Tulle,  covered  with 
ten  feet  of  snow.  Suppose  the  same  depth  of 
snow  and  a  country  sixty  times  vaster,  no  pro- 
tecting shadow  of  a  mountain,  immense  for- 
ests of  naked  oak  and  beech,  and  you  will 
liave  some  idea  of  the  route  we  had  to  travel 
iu  order  to  attack  Fort  Hudson.  The  wind 
blew  from  the  North  Polo  morning  and  even- 
ing, for  this  country — which  is  wonderfully 
fertile,  where  plagues  and  sickness  of  any 
kind  are  unknown,  where  man  could  easily 
live  to  the  age  of  Methusalem,  that  is,  pro- 
vided he  had  no  need  to  be  suspicious  of 
his  own  kind,  and  fearful  every  morning  and 
evening  of  being  scalped — this  country,  I  say, 
has  the  disadvantage  that  morning  and  even- 
ing a  furious  wind  blows,  that  is  not  a  whit 
mitigated  or  diminished  by  the  forests  around. 

"And  what  a  wind  I  It  comes  across  the 
ice-bound  waters  of  the  Arctic  Ocean,  and  car- 
ries with  it  all  the  refreshing  coolness  of  ice. 
When  the  snow  falls,  it  beats  against  your  face 
so  as  to  blind  you,  and  accumulates  such  heaps 
of  snow  at  a  time  that  it  buries  an  entire  vil- 
lage at  a  sweep.  When  it  has  fallen  for  a  while, 
it  hardens  and  that  is  the  favorable  time  for 
men-hunters  or  deer-hunters.     Away  we  start 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  CHAMPLAIN. 


THE   AQED   MISSIONARY    BMU£D. 


on  onr  snow-shoes,  shooting  along  and  skat- 
ing faster  than  a  horse  at  a  galop.  .  .  But 
nothing  can  give  you  an  idea  of  this  pleasure  ! 
"  Some  day,  Father,  if  you  will  leave  for  an 
instant  your  good  parish  of  Gimel,  where  the 
fire  burns  so  brightly,  the  soup  tastes  so  deU- 
cious,  the  wine  drinks  so  agreeably,  and  Ma- 
rion makes  such  a  perfect  cook — and  should 
you  choose  to  come  with  us  among  the  sava- 


ges to  preach  the  holy  word,  I  promise  yon 
that  ray  friend  Montluc  and  myself  will  show 
you  in  three  days  more  game,  elks,  bears, 
deer,  caribous,  beavers  and  coyotes  than  you 
could  kill  in  thirty  years,  and  a  hundred  times 
more  savages  than  you  could  baptize  in  six 
months.  But  this  is  too  good  a  place  to  leave. 
Our  poor  Canada  could  not  hold  out  any  al> 
lurements  to  you." 


^ 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


*b 


I  felt  a  little  piqued  at  my  Lord  Kilduru'N 
pli'iiwintry,  and  nuHwnred  pretty  Hharply : 

' '  Why  then  Hhonld  I  not  go  to  Oanadii,  Lord 
Kildur«,  if  it  M  God'H  will  ?" 

"Certainly," Haid  the IriHhmau  with  a Hinile, 
"  if  it  is  Ood'8  will ;  but  everything  proves  to 
mo  that  it  iH  not  God'H  will." 

I  fancied  that  Lord  Kildare  wau  poking  a  lit- 
tle (piiet  fun  at  nio,  or  perhaps  it  waH  the  re- 
wult  of  a  mystcriouH  vocation  which  all  at  once 
was  rovealed  to  me,  and  which  was  destined 
to  c(-aduct  me  where  I  am  now,  evor  so  far 
away  from  my  beloved  parish  of  Gimel.  . 
All  at  once  I  exclaimed,  as  if  seized  with  a 
sudden  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost : 

' '  ^Vhat  would  you  say  of  me.  Lord  Kil- 
dare, if  I  should  accompany  you  back  to 
Canada  ?" 

III!  burst  into  such  a  good-humored  laugh, 
that  I  was  fully  disconcerted. 

' '  Who  will  make  your  soup  every  forenoon, 
your  very  fine  soup  ?" 

'  •  I  don't  want  soup.  Father  Fleury  has  no 
soup  many  a  day,  I  suppose.  And  yet  ho 
lives." 

"That  is  so,"  said  he;  "but  he  became 
hardened  by  sixty  years'  practice." 

' '  Well,  in  sixty  years  I  shall  have  acquired 
hardiness,  tool" 

' '  Then  you  are  decided  ?  You  have  duly 
reflected  on  the  step  ?" 

Frankly,  I  had  spoken  somewhat  hastily,  as 
people  often  will,  and  I  was  far  from  being 
resolved  upon  the  subject,  but  the  (^aestion 
of  Lord  Kildare  chafed  me  so,  that  I  made  up 
luy  mind  on  the  spot. 

Marion  stood  up  and  said :  ' '  Then,  Father, 
jou  are  about  to  go  alone  ?" 

I  scarcely  know  what  rejoinder  I  should 
have  made,  when  Beaupoil  broke  in:  "His 
reverence  will  not  go  alone,"  and  he  spoke 
anhesitatingly ;  "for  I  shall  accompany 
him." 

Was  this  a  wish  on  his  part  to  follow  my 
fortunes,  or  to  abandon  his  wife?  I  knew 
not.  Besides,  Marion,  just  as  promptly  as 
he  had  done,  cried  put :  ' '  Well,  that  is  so. 
We  shall  aU  go  together." 

This  time  Lord  Kildare  fairly  roared  with 
7.iughter,  and  asked : 

"Is  there  no  one  else  to  go ?" 

Beaupoil  replied,  stiflfly:  "Lord  Kildare, 
•when  the  reverend  Cure  of  Gimel  took  me 
into  his  service,  there  was  a  sort  of  tinder- 
standing  entered  into  (the  notary  did  not  wit- 
ness it,  but  it  is  a  just  one),  that  neither  of 
ns  would  ever  leave  this  place  without  the 
other,  except,  to  be  sure,  when  the  question 
of  going  to  .paradise  would  arrive,  where 
his  reverence  has  his  place  already  marked 


for  him;  but,  indeed,  it  depends  on  Go<i 
whether  I  shall  follow  him  thither;  and  as 
Marion  causos  mo  to  swear  a  hundred  times  a 
day,  I  am  greatly  afraid  that  when  I  quit  thiH 
world,  I  shall  be  obliged  to  pass  through  pur- 
gatory." 

While  Beaupoil  was  speaking,  Marion  could 
scarciily  keep  (piiet. 

' '  How  is  that  ?"  she  said ;  "I  make  you 
curse  a  hundrod  times  a  day !  You  should  be 
too  happy,  you  great  good-for-nothing,  to  have 
iiiot  mo,  and  to  be,  by  the  Diviuo  permission, 
the  authority  of  tho  reverend  cure  and  my 
goodness,  tied  to  my  apron-striugs  1  .  .  . 
Without  mo,  what  could  you  do  in  that  coun- 
try, will  you  be  good  enough  to  answer? 
.  .  .  Do  you  know  even  a  trade  ?  Aro 
you  in  a  condition  to  earn  your  own  liv- 
ing ?" 

She  would  have  said  much  more ;  and  as  I 
was  wholly  engaged  just  then  in  reflecting  on 
the  step  I  had  ahnost  thoughtlesly  resolved  to 
tako,  I  was  not  listening,  Ijut  the  Baron  who 
for  a  long  time  had  said  nothing,  but  seemed 
to  be  wrapped  in  a  revery,  suddenly  ex- 
claimed : 

"Marion,  I  shall  take  you!" 

"  Ah !  now  you  see ! "  she  said  to  her  hus- 
band, with  an  air  of  triumph. 

"You  will  be  our  cook,  Marion." 

"And  his  reverence  ?"  asked  Marion,  "  who 
will  attend  to  Lim  ?" 

"He  stays  with  us.  You  shall  not  leave 
him.     .     .     .     Nor  you,  either,  Beaupoil. " 

"Ah!  ah!  listen!  Nor  you,  either,  my 
beloved!"  continued  Marion,  ever  happy  to 
show  that  her  husband  could  not  be  sepa- 
rated from  her. 

But  Beaupoil  said : 

"Who  will  take  care  of  my  mother,  Ma- 
rion? My  poor  old  mother,  who  has  not 
three  months  to  live,  according  to  Monsieur 
Fovrachaux,  the  physician  at  Tulle." 

"Well,"  said  Marion,  "take  care  of  her 
yourself.  I  am  no  daughter  of  her's,  you 
know.  I  am  her  daughter-in-law.  She  is  not 
my  mother;  she  is  my  mother-in-law !" 

Lord  Montluc  arose,  stretching  his  arm ; 
and  yawning  pretty  audibly.  "Marion,"  ho 
said,  "you  are  right."  Marion  stepped  back 
to  Beaupoil  with  an  air  of  triumph. 

"You  understand,"  she  said,  "lam  right." 

Beaupoil  retorted : 

* '  I  well  understand  that  the  Barou  Mont- 
luo  le  Bouge  said  you  are  right.  It  is  a 
proof — "    .     .     . 

"Proof  of  what?"    .     .    . 

"Proof  that  he  does  not  know  you." 

"How  so?  he  does  not  know  me?"  cried 
Marion,  in  a  fit  of  anger.     *'  Perhaps  ho  does 


M 


THE  0HIEFTAIN8  OP  CHAMPLAIN. 


not  know  I  am  the  eervant  of  bia  rovereuoc, 
ihe  Ciir6  of  Gimol."     .     .     . 

"Ho  kuowH  that." 

"Well,  thon?" 

"YoH,  but  b«  does  not  know  that  yon 
6m~"    .     .     , 

Beaupoil  paused  with  all  the  appearance 
Df  not  liking  to  €niHh  the  Hentence. 

"Say  thon  what  I  am,"  said  Marion,  •'just 
<o  lot  n#i  Hoe." 

' '  IJo  you  wiHh  it  ?" 

•'  Yes  " 

"WoU,  ray  Lord  does  not  know  that  you 
tiro  half  crazy.'' 

"Iliilf  crazy!"  cried  Marion,  advancing  to- 
ward bini  with  her  nails  in  readinens.  "  Say 
that  again,  Beaupoil,  just  dare  repeat  it,  that 
I  am  half  crazy." 

Then  the  poor  henpecked  follow  mastered 
up  courage  enough  and  said 

"Yes  I  do  dare  and  shall  always  dare  it. 
And,  in  truth,  it  is  only  through  poUteness 
that  I  say  Aa^  crazy,  for  you  are  not  merely 
half  a  fool,  but  a  full,  thorough-going  one." 

At  this,  Marion  sprang  to  arms.  Her 
eyes  shone  like  a  tiger's  before  battle.  She 
uttered  a  sharji  cry  which  ahuoHt  froze  the 
marrow  in  my  bones,  and  prepared  herself 
to  spring  upon  Beaupoil,  whom  she  would 
have,  perhaps,  fearfully  scratched,  but  ho 
being  not  less  wary  than  brave,  opened  the 
door  of  the  room,  sU  h  down  the  stairs,  enter- 
ed the  kitchen,  boltei  the  door,  and  kept  this 
barricade  between  hi  iself  and  his  enraged 
spouse  for  more  than  a  ;  hour. 

This  explosion  serve.?  as  a  signal  for  my 
tired  guests  to  retire  for  Uie  night.  Montluc 
said  to  me: 

"Father,  we  are  about  to  retire.  Think 
over  the  promise  you  ha  ^e  just  made  my 
friend  Kildare  to  follow  us  l.i  Canada.  If  you 
persist  in  your  determinatioit  by  to-morrow, 
in  ten  days  we  shall  be  at  Bordeaux,  where 
our  friend  Glandas  is  waiting  to  carry  us  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi.  We  shall  wait 
for  you  twenty-four  hours,  two  days  if  neces- 
sary, we  shall  put  you  aboard,  cross  the  At- 
lantic, enter  the  Mississippi,  a  river  twenty 
times  larger  and  deeper  than  the  Seine,  which 
flows  through  boundless  forests  of  pine  and 
larch,  we  shall  turn  to  the  right  into  the 
Ohio,  the  finest  river  in  the  world,  which  re- 
ceives fifteen  tributaries,  navigable  rivers,  and 
whose  banks  are  covered  with  forests  of  oak, 
and  the  noblest  prairies  in  America,  thence 
we  shall  go  to  Lake  Erie,  where  my  father  is 
lord  and  master,  where  old  Father  Fleury  is 
only  waiting  for  his  successor;  you  will  con- 
vert theHurons,  tha  Algonquins,  the  Iroquois, 
the  Sioux,  the  Mohawks,  and  all  the  unfortu- 


nate red  -skiuH  who  know  not  yet  the  Having  word 
of  tbeOospel,  you  will  be  our  preacher,  our 
cur6,  our  bishop.  .  ,  .  You  shall  have  a 
diocese  larger  than  a  kingdom  in  Europe,  you 
will  scatter  upon  a  fruitful  soil  the  Divine 
seed,  and  should  any  heretic,  pagan,  or  ill- 
advised  savage  menace  you,  count  upon  us!" 

"Oh I  yes— count  upon  us!"  added  Kil- 
ibire,  with  a  smile,  .  .  .  upon  Montluc 
le  llouge,  particularly.  He  is  the  best  and 
most  generous  fellow  living,  but  he  ciinnot 
bear  the  sight  of  a  wilful  heretic.  His  dis- 
like for  them  overpowers  him.  When  he 
hoars  one  speak  ill  of  our  holy  religion,  he 
becomes  terrible,  and  it  is  not  good  for  such 
a  one  to  cross  his  path.  .  .  .  But  wluii 
his  friends  are  attacked,  he  is  far  worse.  Ho 
then  becomes  a  very  jaguar.  It  is,  indeed, 
the  Erie  blood  which  flows  in  his  veins." 

Just  then  the  clock  (or  rather  the  little 
cuckoo)  whicih  was  lazily  marking  the  seconds 
in  the  ante-cbamber,  struck  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning. 

Montluc  held  out  his  hand,  and  said: 

' '  Father,  let  us  retire,  for  we  shall  be 
obliged  to  depart  early  in  the  morning." 

To  which  I  replied  with  feeling; 

•*C!ouIdyou  not  delay  your  departure  ?" 

He  said: 

"It  is  the  King's  order  1  Besides,  the 
safety  of  Canada  depends  on  it." 

And  as  I  looked  at  him  with  an  uncertain, 
disturbed  countenance,  he  added: 

"To-morrow,  Monsieur  le  Cure,  I  shall 
tell  you  all — our  mission,  our  adventures,  the 
urgent  need  of  our  departure,  despite  wind 
or  tide.     .     .     .     Good  night!" 

He  went  to  rest  at  the  same  time  as  big 
companion. 


CHAPTEL  VIII. 

LORD  KIIiDABE  BESUMES  THE  8T0EY  OFHIS  ADVEN- 
TUBES,  WHEBEIN  MABTEE  CHABLOT  COMES  UP- 
ON THE  STAGE. 

HappUy  my  guests  were  obliged  by  the  force 
of  the  wind,  cold  and  snow  combined,  to  stay 
with  me.  Accustomed  to  the  Canadian  ch- 
mate,  tlie  wind  and  cold  were  of  small  conse- 
quence to  them,  but  the  snow  fell  so  thick 
and  grew  so  deep  that  it  surpassed  by  five 
feet  the  stature  of  a  man  on  horseback,  and 
we  should  have  been  forced  to  cut  a  path  in  the 
mountain,  with  the  fear  that  at  the  first  ray 
of  sunshine  an  avalanche  might  swallow  the 
venturesome  travellers. 

Fortunately  too,  provisions  were  not  want- 
ing at  the  presbytery.  After  Mass,  we  sat 
down  to  table.  A  stewed  tumey  appeared 
and  disappeared.      A  roast  bare  followed.     A 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


so 


half  dozen  of  the  finest  trout  that  ever  glided 
with  their  silvery  backs  in  the  limpid  waters 
of  the  river  just  served  to  urge  on  the 
turkey  and  the  hair.  The  veal  pate!  with  its 
mixture  of  ham,  made  a  brave  resistance  to 
our  assault ,  for  it  was  of  reasonable  dimen- 
sions, twenty-five  inches  in  length  by  fourteen 
in  width  and  ten  inches  deep ;  but  finally  it 
Kuccombed  to  our  repeated  onslaught,  and  the 
Earl  of  Kildare  declared,  scornfully  pushing 
aside  the  napkin,  that  we  might  do  something 
better  than  eat  all  day. 

I  inquired  what  that  better  thing  was. 
He  answered  that  if  eating  was  good,  drink- 
ing was  still  better. 

And  he  held  forth  his  glass  so  pleasantly 
that  I  sent  Marion  to  the  cellar,  for  I  feared 
that  Beaupoil  might  conceive  an  idea  similar 
to  that  of  Lord  Kildare  and  that,  by  active 
experience  discovering  that  to  drink  was  bet- 
ter than  to  eat,  drain  some  flasks  of  my  best 
Burgundy. 

When  we  had  all  heartily  breakfasted  or 
dined  (whatever  you  choose  to  call  such  a  re- 
past as  I  have  described),  as  the  snow  was 
falling  in  thick  flakes  and  covering  the  whole 
country  so  that  every  one  was  kept  indoors, 
and  only  the  wolves  were  abroad,  I  begged 
my  guests,  for  their  occupation  and  diversion, 
and  partly  too  that  I  might  know  them  better, 
to  finish  the  account  of  their  adventure. 

Montluc  thanked  me  for  my  interest  in  their 
exploits  and  said ;  "  It  is  for  you  to  talk,  Kil- 
dare! You  are  eloquent,  because  you  are 
Irish  besides." 

At  the  same  moment  Marion  entered  under 
a  pretext.  She  had  overheard  all.  She  had 
her  arms  laden  with  a  pile  of  plates  and 
dishes,  enough  to  fill  a  chest  three  feet  long, 
six  feet  wide,  and  three  feet  deep.  She 
placed  upon  the  side-board  this  huge  mass  of 
c.iina,  and  placing  her  shut  fists  upon  her 
hips  she  began  to  smile  as  she  knew  how  to 
du,  that  is  to  say,  in  a  way  to  terrify  a  war- 
rior less  vahant  than  Beaupoil. 

I  tliought  to  prevail  upon  her  to  attend  to 
the  premises,  but  she  would  do  nothing,  and 
gave  as  her  reason ;  "It  does  not  inconven- 
ience me  at  all.  Father,  to  have  the  gentle- 
man speaking  while  I  am  here,  that  does  not 
■'^  hinder  me  from  arrangmg  my  plate  and  china 
on  the  side-board.  On  the  contrary,  talk 
away.  Lord  Kildare,  talk  on.  I  am  not  hsten- 
ing.     On  the  contrary  !" 

Lord  Kildare  regarded  her  with  a  smile,  as 
he  usually  did,  and  said:  "Since  that  is  so, 
Marion,  and  you  give  me  permission,  I  shall 
take  up  my  narrative.  But  at  first  (it  was  a 
stroke  of  maUce  on  the  part  of  the  Irishman), 
fet..!i  Beaupoil.     I  wish  Beaupoil  to  hear  me. 


If  Beaupoil  does  not  come,  I  shall  say  noth- 
ing." 

She  shrugged  her  shoulders  and  went  after 
her  nusband,  who  was  himself  hastening  to 
come  up  as  soon  as  he  could.  Coffee  having 
been  served,  the  Earl  of  Kildare  began  where 
he  had  left  off:  "We  were  at  the  Bay  of 
Hudson  expedition,  isn't  that  so  ?"  I  ex- 
plained that  it  was  a  matter  of  going  a  hun- 
dred leagues  from  Montluc  Tower,  Lake  Erie, 
and  all  our  friends,  of  capturing  without  ar- 
tillery a  fort  mounted  with  sixty  cannon,  pro- 
tected by  five  hundred  men,  three  frigates 
and  their  crews,  prepared  for  a  long  siege. 
To  be  candid,  it  was  absurd,  for  the  EngUsh 
were  on  their  guard,  and  they  had  thirty 
times  as  many  men  as  wo.  But  it  was  an 
heroic  task.  The  old  Baron  of  Montluc  said 
tliis  expedition  was  necessary  for  the  salva- 
tion of  the  colony,  which  needed  arms  and 
ammunition.  Montluc  le  Kouge  added  that 
it  was  safe  and  that  he  took  the  responsibihty. 
Then  we  had  confidence  in  him,  and  so  we 
set  out  forty  strong,  believing  that  tmder  his 
leadership  we  were  equal  to  four  thousand  of 
the  enemy.  As  for  myself,  who  had  known 
him  only  five  days,  yet  loved  him  already  as 
a  brother,  I  followed  him  with  a  beUef  in  hini 
which  would  have  astonished  our  old  Euro- 
pean captains. 

"If  you  inquire  of  me  why  I  followed  him, 
and  reposed  this  confidence  in  him,  I,  whom 
nothing  except  my  own  will  placed  under  his 
command,  I  must  confess  that  my  motives 
were  rather  difficult  to  analyse  even  for  my- 
self, but,  in  the  main,  I  had  a  fierce  desire 
to  demonstrate  to  Mademoiselle  Athenais  of 
Montluc,  who  seemed  to  think  no  one  in  the 
world  could  equal  her  father  and  brother,  that 
Gerald  Fitzgerald  bad  nothing  to  fear  from 
comparison  with  any  man,  and  that  if  there 
was  a  question  of  risking  his  life,  he  was  as 
ready  as  any  living  man  to  do  so. 

"And,  by  the  faith  of  Kildare  1  I  was  not 
wrong  in  embarking  at  hazard  in  this  enter- 
prise, for  I  had  scarcely  announced  my  reso- 
lution, when  I  was  regarded  with  a  glance  of 
those  blue  eyes,  which  would  have  given  me 
courage,  not  only  to  face  single-lianded  the 
whole  EngUsh  army,  but  also  go  from  Hud- 
sou  Bay  to  the  North  Polo  and  thence  to  the 
South  Pole. 

"But  to  leave  these  beautiful  blue  eyes 
which  have  no  great  interest  for  you,  Father, 
and  to  proceed  with  my  story  we  marched 
along  for  nine  days  toward  Hudson  Bay, 
across  forests,  ponds,  and  frozen  rivers,  andn 
deep,  but  hard  snow,  upon  which  we  glided 
along  with  our  snow  shoes,  when,  one  night, 
as  we  had  just  cut  down  a  number  of  tree* 


3() 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  CHAMPLAIN. 


to  erect  a  temporary  log  cabin  and  sleep 
around  the  fire  under  the  protection  of  our 
two  sentinels,  lo !  we  heard  a  moumfol  hov;l 
in  the  depths  of  the  wood. 

"  Immediately  every  one  sprang  to  his  feet 
and  looked  at  his  arms,  Montluc  le  Bouge 
tirst  of  all.  He  Ustened.  A  second  shriek 
more  terrible  and  sinister  than  the  first  was 
heard,  and  if  I  must  confess,  it  made  me 
rfUiver  to  the  very  marrow  in  my  bones. 

Indeed,  in  this  forest  three  hundred  leagues 
vide,  in  the  midst  of  wild  beasts  of  every 
kini,  far  from  any  human  creature,  town  or 
village,  those  great  tall,  leafless  trees  resem- 
bled monstrous  burnt  skeletons  stretohing  out 
their  blackened  stumps,  and  then  two  shrieks 
a]i)peared  to  come  from  yawning  churchyards. 
I  believe  that  several  of  our  company  had  the 
same  impression. 

"A  third  shriek  broke  upon  the  the  ear, 
nearer  than  the  itvo  former.  One  of  our  sav- 
ages cried  out:  "l*ieyare  the  coyotes, and  are 
attracted  by  the  sc«nt  of  the  venison. 

'"I  inquired:  'What  are  the  coyotes?' 
Montluc  answered  very  quickly,  *  They  are 
the  wolves  of  this  country.'  But  he  is  mista- 
ken ;  if  they  were  coyotes,  I  should  hear  their 
pattering  on  the  snow. 

"Just  then  a  fourth  howl  was  heard,  fol- 
lowed up  by  a  strange  caterwaul.  You  would 
have  said  it  was  a  wild  cat  facing  a  wolf. 

"Montluc  then  signed  to  all  to  sit  or  lie 
down,  and  said:  'It  is  Buffalo  1'  At  these 
words  every  one  seemed  at  ease.' 

"Buffalo  was,  without  doubt,  the  friend  of 
all  who  were  that  night  gathered  under  the 
oak  trees.  I,  without  knowing  why,  was 
satisfied  to  know  that  Buffalo  was  approach- 
ing. 

"Is  he  alone?"  I  inquired  of  Montluc, 
"No,  there  are  two.  He  who  howls  is  Buf- 
falo ;  he  who  miaws  is  Chariot." 

"  What  Chariot  ?" 

' '  My  young  brother,  whom  you  don't  know 
yet.  Buffalo  is  the  sole  survivor  of  the  Erie 
tribe  of  which  he  formerly  was  the  priest. 
As  my  mother  is  a  descendant  of  the  last  chief 
of  the  tribe  Buffalo,  when  all  the  others  were 
extermina^d  (his  escape  was  almost  miracu- 
lous) attached  himself  to  our  family.  Father 
Fleury,  who  would  have  eonverted  the  false 
prophet  Mahomet,  if  the  old  rascal  had  passed 
his  door,  desired  to  convert  Bulfalo. 

<  'The  trial  lasted  a  long  time — Buffalo  did  not 
wish  to  be  converted.  Fathe^  Fleury  is  per- 
severing. Buffalo  is  obstinate.  There  were 
fierce  controversies  between  th«m,  and  my 
mother,  who  loved  them  both,  uised  to  have 
great  difficulty  in  reconciling  thom.  Ouess 
what  prevented  his  ooavereion.    fioffolo  was 


quite  willing  to  believe  and  follow  in  every* 
thing  the  counsels  of  Father  Fleury,  but  he 
wished  also  to  preserve  the  right  to  scalp  hia 
enemies. 

When  he  was  told  that  we  must  love  one 
another,  he  observed:  "Do  you  mean  to  Kay 
that  the  Iroquois  love  us,  they  who  massacred 
all  my  brothers  of  the  Erie  tribe  ?  Do  the 
English  love  us — they  who  shoot  us  down 
wherever  they  meet  us  ?  .  .  .  No,  no ;  I 
scalp  my  enemies  while  I  shall  be  able,  and  if 
Father  Fleury  won't  have  me  use  my  scalpiug- 
knife,  I  will  not  embrace  his  religion."  At 
last,  one  day,  while  Father  Fleury  was  away, 
my  father,  who  laughed  at  Buffalo's  expres- 
sions, said  to  him  "listen  Buffalo,  you  and  I 
are  too  old  companions  in  war,  is  it  not  so? 
.  .  .  .  And  you  never  saw  me  do  anything 
unworthy  a  man  of  honor,  white  or  red,  eh  ?" 
And  as  Buffalo  agreed  with  him.  "Well," 
continued  my  father,  "  you  also  know  that  I 
am  a  good  CathoUc,  although  I  have  not  always 
acted  up  to  my  faiM\,  and  Father  Fleury  is 
pretty  sure  of  it  now,  and  he  will  tell  you  so 
whenever  you  ask  him.  .  .  .  Still  have 
you  ever  seen  me  fly  before  those  who  would 
unexpectedly  massacre  my  friends  and  child, 
ren  ?  .  .  ,  Our  reUgion  allows  us  to  de- 
fend ourselves." 

"  '  Since  it  is  so,'  said  Buffalo,  'I  shall  get 
baptised  at  once.*  And  he  did  so,  was  bap. 
tised  and  became  a  very  good  Cathohc.  And 
in  proving  his  faith,  my  mother  is  often 
obUged  to  put  a  check  to  his  zeal.  But  when 
she  has  spoken,  it  is  as  if  he  had  heard  the  word 
of  God  himself ;  he  can  do  nothing  but  obey. 

You  understand  now  how  Buffalo  has  uu. 
dertaken  the  education  of  my  brother,  Char, 
lot.  He  has  taught  him  how  to  run,  k>  chmb 
tree6,  to  swim,  to  shoot  with  the  musket,  to 
fish — in  a  word,  everything  he  knows.  And 
Chariot,  who  has  extraordinary  aptitudes, 
very  speedily  surpassed  his  tutor.  He  has 
learned  the  bear  dance,  the  bark  of  the  Es. 
quimeaux  dog,  the  miawl  of  the  wild  cat,  the 
cry  of  the  beaver  and  firve  or  six  other  accom. 
pllshments  of  which  you  of  European  de. 
scent  have  no  conception,  but  which  are 
prized  in  this  country  just  as  much  as  the 
art  of  bowing,  dancing  and  playing  the  gal. 
lant  at  Versailles.  Another  thing — Chariot 
and  Buffalo  are  scarcely  ever  apart.  Buffala 
is  after  Father  Flenry,  our  oldest  friend. 
When  requisite,  he  acts  as  our  interpreter 
and  embassador  with  the  savages.  Above 
all,  he  is  the  sentinel  who  watohes  over  Lake 
Erie,  whom  nothing  could  terrify  or  corrupt. 

When  my  father  and  myself  go  forth  on 
any  expedition,  it  is  Buffalo  who  takes  com. 
mand  of  Montlao  Tower.    Now,  as  my  father 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  CHAMPLAlN. 


'  TOU  DID  NOT  EXPECT  BIE,  BBOTHEB  !  " 


is  at  home,  Bnffalo  has  been  enabled  to  act  as 
guide  fcr  Chariot  .  .  .  And  hold  I  here 
they  come,  both. 

Immediately  we  saw  gUde  over  the  frozen 
snow  two  figures,  as  rapidly  as  two  streaks  of 
lightning.  Montluo  le  Rouge  was  not  mis- 
taken, it  was  Buffalo  and  Chariot. 

While  the  old  redskin  stood  motionless  at  a 


distance,  in  an  attitude  full  of  respect  and 
dignity,  the  boy  sprang  into  his  brother's 
arms,  saying:  "You  did  not  expect  me, 
brother!" 

"  No,  Chariot,"  said  Montluo  smiling  ;  but 
since  you  have  come,  you  are  welcome.  I 
thought  you  were  on  the  banks  of  the  Missis, 
dppi  wiUi  Father  Lallemand. 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


tr 


"  Ah !"  rejoined  the  boy  with  a  sigh,  "  In- 
deed, I  should  be  there;  but  we  cannot  al- 
ways do  what  we  wish." 

' '  Father  Laliemand  did  not  wish  to  be  in- 
commoded by  yon ?"  inquired  Montluc.  "You 
embarrassed  him  in  the  work  of  his  conver- 
sions." 

"Father  Lollomand  will  never  more  con- 
vert any  one,'  replied  Chariot. 

' '  '  What  has  happened  V 

"'He  was  scalped.  To  tell  you  in  two 
words,  it '"  ippened  thus.  The  ninth  day  after 
•ur  depai  he  and  I  were  on  the  bank  of 

the  river  Ih.i.ois  and  had  just  (that  is  Father 
Laliemand  h;vd)  erected  a  little  cross  upon  a 
hillock  aud  said  Mass. 

' '  As  soon  as  mass  was  over,  I  went  to  himt 
for  something  for  breakfast,  for  we  had  with 
Its  only  salt  aud  a  little  dried  meat.  Father 
Laliemand  began  to  look  around  for  wood  to 
light  a  fire  and  cook  any  game  we  could  pro- 
cure. At  the  end  of  au  hour,  I  came  across  a 
flock  of  ^rild  turkeys ;  I  shot  two  on  the  wing, 
and  was  talcing  them  to  the  good  Father.  But 
misfortune  I  a  baud  of  Illinois  who  were 
hunting  in  the  locahty  met  aud  questioned 
him.  The  good  father  had  been  preaching  to 
them.  Taking  him  for  a  sorcerer,  they  had 
bound  him  to  a  tree,  half-scalped  him  and 
were  dancing  around  him.  One  of  them, 
without  doubt,  the  chief  of  the  tribe,  approach- 
ed with  a  knife  and  began  to  carve  him  ahve 
as  he  was.  His  companions  laughed,  sang 
imd  yelled.  Seeing  that,  I  crawled  througli 
the  grass,  which  was  tall  aud  thick,  (I  could 
not  be  seen)  covered  the  savage  at  the  mo- 
ment Father  Laliemand  was  about  to  give  up 
the  ghost,  and  I  hit  him  square  in  the  fore- 
head. His  business  in  this  life  was  of  no  long 
duration.  Ho  fell  stark  dead.  The  lUinois 
not  knowing  where  this  sudden  shot  came 
came  from,  fancied  they  saw  the  visible  hand 
of  the  Lord  chastising  them  for  their  crime. 
Every  one  of  them  fled  without  even  looking 
behind.  As  soon  as  I  was  left  alone,  I  loos- 
ened Father  Flenry,who  gave  me  his  blessing 
and  died  in  my  arms,  exhorting  me  with  his 
last  breath  to  return  to  Montluc  Tower.  What 
could  I  do,  being  aU  alone  ?  I  took  his  advice, 
after  having  buried  his  remains  at  the  foot  of 
the  cross  he  had  himself  erected,  and  I  arriv- 
ed home  ju.it  twenty-four  hours  after  your  de- 
parture. My  mother  wished  me  to  stay ;  my 
father  hesitated  a  Uttle.  Father  Fleury  said 
that  God,  who  so  visibly  protected  us  on  that 
unhappy  expedition,  woiUd  no  doubt  never 
tire  of  watching  over  me. 

"And  you,"  asked  Montluc,  "  what  did  you 
think?" 

"  I,"  aaid  the  boy,   "  was  burning  with  im- 


patience to  join  you,  and  afraid  you  might 
take  Fort  Hudson  without  me;  but,  thank 
God,  here  I  am,  here  you  are,  and  here  are 
we  all !  .  .  .  Thanks  to  God  and  old  Buffa 
lo,  who  has  kindly  served  as  a  guide,  in  spite- 
of  his  sixty-five  years.  .  .  .  By  the  way, 
when  will  the  attack  be  made  ?" 

"  After  to-morrow,"  answered  Montluc. 

"I  almost  forgot,"  said  Chariot,  "my 
father  gave  me  a  letter  for  you.     Here  it  is." 

' '  My  Dear  Son — Chariot  has  just  arrived. 
He  will  inform  you  concerning  the  martyr- 
dom of  good  Father  Laliemand ;  it  is  a  great 
misfortune  to  the  colony.  He  was  not 
merely  content  himself  with  converting 
the  savages,  but  he  made  them  friends 
of  yours  and  gained  many  faithful  allies  for 
France.  Chariot  wished  to  join  you.  I  have 
permitted  him  to  do  so.  Watch  over  him 
carefully,  as  a  Montluc  should  be  watched 
over.  Keep  him  ouly  out  of  useless  perils. 
In  a  word,  show  him  his  duty,  as  I  have  showed 
it  to  you  when  you  where  of  his  age.  Father 
Fleury  has  gone  again  among  the  Iroquois  ; 
iu  a  little  while  we  shall  have  some  news  from 
him.  With  what  imi)atieuce  we  are  awaiting 
tidings  from  you,  you  may  fancy.  Your  sis- 
ter, Athenais,  does  not  sleep.  Your  mother 
spends  half  the  day  at  the  foot  of  the  cruci- 
fix. As  for  Lucy,  she  says  nothing,  but  is 
every  moment  studying  our  old  map  of  Hud- 
son Bay  Territorj',  formerly  drawn  by  Father 
Fleury;  she  measures  the  distances,  and 
counts  the  days  required  to  go  and  return ;  iu 
a  word,  she  is  scarcely^Uve  to  anything  else. 
For  my  part,  I  expect  you  in  fifteen  days  aud 
a  conqueror.  Your  enterprise  is  of  such  a 
nature  that  there  is  no  middle  course  between 
victory  aud  death ;  but  I  have  entire  confi- 
dence that  you  will  succeed. 

Montluc.  " 
My  compliments  to  Lord  KUdare. 

Having  read  this  letter,  Montluc  desired 
Chariot  and  me  to  go  to  rest,  and  we  remained 
alone  with  Buffalo. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

WBEBEIN     liOBD    KILDABE     MEETS    A   TAIitTABLK 
ALLY    AMONG   HIB   ENEMIES. 

After  a  moment's  silence.  Lord  Kildare  con- 
tinued his  recital  iu  these  words : 

Five  hours  later  we  resumed  our  journey. 
We  now  had  not  more  than  fifteen  or  twenty 
leagues  to  accomplish  and  should  arrive  by 
midnight  at  the  environs  of  the  fort. 

The  weather  was  so  severe  that  we  had  na 
fear  the  EngUsh  would  be  on  their  guard. 
They  believed  us  a  hundred  leagoes  away. 


40 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  OHAMPLAIN. 


and  Montlac,  who  knew  this  well,  counted 
lather  upon  surprise  than  force  to  capture  the 
fort  and  three  frigates.  For  my  part,  to  be 
candid,  quite  determined  as  I  was  faithfully  to 
discharge  my  duty,  I  was  not  without  some 
misgivings  as  to  the  success  of  the  enterprise. 
But  I  was  very  far  from  knowing  the  mental 
resources  of  my  friend,  Montluc.  The  coming 
day  was  destjr&d  to  confer  honor  on  France 
and  Ireland,  and  I  returned  with  interest  the 
blows  I  had  received  at  the  battle  of  the 
Soyue. 

"About  five  in  the  morning  we  were  under 
urms,  hidden  behind  deep  snow  ridges  and 
blowing  on  our  fingers  while  we  waited  for  the 
•ignal.  Fort  HudBon  was  two  hundred  paces 
away,  on  the  shore  of  the  bay,  and  the  ram- 
part, half-wall,  half-paUsade,  like  all  their 
•onstmctions  in  that  country,  was  washed  by 
the  waves  in  summer. 

'*  But  at  this  time  the  cold  was  so  intense 
jSiat  the  whole  bay  was  sheeted  with  a  thick 
coating  of  ice  at  least  two  feet  deep.  Of  the 
three  English  men-of-war  we  were  calculating 
apon  finding  in  the  bay,  two  had  returned  to 
Europe.  The  third  alone  watched  the  fort, 
and  looked  herself  like  a  fortress — held  at  an- 
chorage by  huge  cables  to  the  shore.  Through 
the  open  port-holes  we  could  see  peeping 
forth  the  mouths  of  forty-eight  pieces  ready 
to  belch  forth  ball  and  shell  upon  the  enemy. 
The  officer  of  the  watch  was  pacing  the  bridge 
wrapped  from  head  to  foot  in  an  immense 
brown  bear-skin,  such  as  is  found  in  the 
forests  of  Canada.  His  dark  profile  was 
sketched  upon  the  white  snowy  back-ground  of 
earth,  sky,  and  sea. 

"I  shall  reserve  him  with  the  frigate  for  my- 
aelf"  whispered  Montluc  le  Bouge.  "To  you 
«ho  are  a  land  officer  I  shall  assign  the  fort. 
Weigh  well  what  I  now  say,  that  we  have  but 
ane  moment  to  succeed,  and  if  that  rliigie 
Bwament  is  lost  we  shall  leave  our  bones  at  the 
loot  of  this  fort.  For  my  part,  in  such  an 
«vent,  I  shall  not  be  found  aUve." 

"Montluc  le  Rouge,"  I  answered,  "You 
shall  see  co-day  what  a  Fitzgerald  can  do. " 

Then  he  called  Pied-de-Cerf  and  two  other 
Algonquin  chiefs,  and  gave  them  his  instruc- 
tions in  my  presence.  I  looked  around  for 
Buffalo  and  young  Chariot.  Both  had  van- 
ished. 

"  They  are  at  work  already,"  said  Montluc 
■miliug.  "Their  task  is  to  open  the  ball, 
and  if  you  knew  them,  you  would  be  confl- 
uent of  their  success!  Old  Buffalo  is  as 
wary  and  cunning  as  a  rattlesnake.  And 
Chai'Iot,  he  is  supple  and  vigorous  as  a  leo- 
pacd." 

JoBi  then  we  perceived  two  men;  one  of 


them  very  tall  but  unarmed,  appeared  to  be 
marching  as  if  pushed  on  by  the  other,  who 
was  rather  small,  yet  who  kept  digging  the 
other's  ribs  with  a  sword. 

Montluc  stepped  a  little  forward  to  ascer- 
tain who  they  were,  and  said  as  he  turned 
round  with  an  appearance  of  great  satisfac- 
tion: 

"Hold,  'tis  Chariot.  What  has  he  got? 
A  prisoner  9" 

"You  have  said  it,  brother,"  replied  the 
boy.  "  I  thought  you  would  like  a  prisoner. 
'Tis  the  sentinel.  While  his  back  was  turned 
we  sprang  upon  him,  half  choking  him,  to 
prevent  any  outcry.  As  he  had  his  gun  in 
his  arms  and  his  two  hands  crossed  in  his 
cuffs,  he  could  neither  call  for  help  nor  de- 
fend himself ;  we  gagged  and  disarmed  him. 
There  he  is.     What  will  you  do  with  him  ?" 

"Very  good,"  said  Montluc;  "father  will 
be  content  with  you.  What  have  you  done 
with  Buffalo?" 

"I  left  him  in  the  sentry  box,"  said  the 
boy  with  a  smile,  "wrapped  up  in  the  bear- 
skin, and  armed  with  the  enemy's  musket. 
He  is  on  duty  for  the  English  now,  but  awaits 
your  orders." 

Montluc  then  caused  the  gag  to  be  removed 
from  the  prisoner's  mouth,  and  interrogated 
him.  He  was  a  fine  soldier,  strong  and  well 
built,  who  had  been  surprised  at  his  post. 
Otherwise,  it  would  have  been  necessary  to  kill 
him ;  he  was  just  the  sort  of  fellow  to  make  a 
bold  defence.  At  the  first  words,  I  recognized 
the  Irish  accent.  I  then  asked  permission  to 
question  him  myself  which  Montluc  willingly 
acceded,  and  I  addressed  him.  in  the  Oeltic 
tongue : 

"Your  name?" 

"Patrick." 

"Country?" 

"  Ireland— County  Kildare." 

"Religion?" 

"  Roman  Catholic." 

"How! — rascal!"  I  cried  out,  with  indig- 
nation. ' '  You  are  a  CathoUo,  and  from  the 
County  Kildare,  and  you  are  in  the  service  of 
King  William— a  heretic  and  usurper!"  He 
appeared  confounded. 

"Did  you  ever  hear,"  I  asked,  " of  Oerald 
Fitzgerald,  Eari  of  Kildare  ?" 

He  regarded  me  closer,  recognized  me,  and 
exclaimed  as  he  kissed  my  hands : 

"  Why,  it  is  yourself,  my  lordl" 

"Yes,  'tis  I.  But  what  do  you  do  here, 
miserable  traitor  to  Ireland?" 

"Ah!  my  lord,"  he  replied,  "  if  yon  ootlld 
but  know  all.  I  was  with  you,  you  remem- 
ber, at  the  Battle  of  the  Boyne,  where  King 
James  (Qod  guard  him),  saved  himself  hke  a 


THE   CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


41 


hare.  The  day  following,  there  was  nc  one 
to  be  seen ;  no  officers,  no  king  ;  in  a  word, 
nothing;  and  into  the  bargain,  not  even  a 
morsel  of  black  bread  to  put  under  one's 
teeth.  I  did  what  others  have  done  in  the 
like  circumstances.  I  took  to  the  road ;  that 
is  to  say,  I  levied  a  toll  upon  the  farmers  and 
travelers,  especially  those  who  were  English. 
I  was  taken  myself,  at  last,  and  sentenced  to 
be  hanged.  Fortunately  recruits  were  wanted 
for  ring  WiUiam's  service.  So  I  got  the 
choice  to  enlist  or  be  hanged.  I  decided  up- 
on the  former.  What  would  you  have  done 
in  ray  place,  my  lord?  I  am  but  a  poor 
man,  and  with  little  wit.  I  do  what  I  am 
told  to  do.  I  fight  when  I  am  told  to  fight. 
What  have  I  got  to  do  with  the  matter,  pro- 
vided I  am  paid  ?  Do  I  know  the  men  I  kill  ? 
And  if  I  should  not  obey  my  officer,  would 
not  the  cat-o'-nine  tails  descend  on  my 
shoulders  ?  Should  I  not  be  whipped  Uke  a 
little  boy,  or  shot  for  a  coward  ?" 

"The  poor  fellow  is  right,"  said  Montluc. 
"What  does  he  know  about  the  quarrels  of 
King  James  and  King  WilUam  ?" 

Then,  turning  to  Patrick  :  "H«arme,"he 
said,  "You  will  not  fight  for  James,  who  is 
too  much  of  a  coward  ;  nor  for  William,  who 
is  too  much  of  a  villain ;  but  for  Lord  Kil- 
dare,  who  is  your  natural  chief,  takes  you 
into  his  service,  and  is  himself  fighting  for 
green  Ireland,  the  Very  Christian  monarch, 
and  the  Holy  Catholic  rehgion.  Will  you 
come  with  us  ?" 

"  Ahl"  exclaimed  Patrick,  "I  ask  nothing 
else!" 

And  he  furnished  us  with  a  thousand  val- 
uable points  of  information  upon  the  condi- 
tion and  internal  arrangements  of  the  fort, 
the  BuppUes,  and  the  general  lack  of  disciphne 
of  the  whole  garrison ;  he  informed  us  upon 
a  point  that  was  highly  valuable,  that  nine- 
tenths  of  the  garrison  took  exercise  every 
morning  outside  the  ramparts ;  that  the  rest 
stayed  close  around  the  fire  in  a  large  guard- 
room to  escape  the  cold,  and  that  a  sentinel 
was  the  only  protection  they  spent  upon  the 
powder  magazine,  which  contained  three  him- 
dred  thousand  poirnds  of  powder,  without  at 
all  mentioning  the  bullets,  shells,  and  other 
ammunition.  He  told  us  that  the  commandant 
of  the  fort,  an  old  German  colonel  in  the 
EngUsh  service,  spent  his  days  smoking 
drinking  in  his  quarters  playing  cards 
with  his  lieutenant-colonel;  that,  moreover, 
the  French  and  the  Savoys  were  believed  to 
be  three  hundred  leagues  away,  and  that  no 
one  was  keeping  guard. 

Then,  as  Montluo  was  still  a  Uttle  distrust- 
fol,  he  drew  from  his  pocket  a  Uttle  medal  of 


the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  said  to  me:  "My 
Lord,  when  I  was  leaving  Ireland,  my  poor 
mother  pave  me  this  medal,  making  me  swear 
at  the  same  time  that  I  should  never  forget 
it.  .  .  .  Well,  my  lord,  I  swear  by  this  medal 
that  I  have  spoken  nothing  but  the  truth,  and 
I  swear,  too,  that  I  shall  follow  the  Earl  of 
Kildare  wherever  he  is  pleased  to  lead  me." 

Indeed  the  poor  fellow  was  cdnoere,  and 
could  be  relied  on.  Montluc  felt  it,  and  said : 
' '  Give  back  his  arms.  Patrick,  you  shall 
guide  us  to  the  fort."    This  he  did  at  once. 

We  followed,  one  by  one,  in  Indian  file, 
each  placing  his  feet  in  Patrick's  tracks,  in 
such  a  manner  as  not  to  betray  our  advance 
on  the  fort,  and  march  along  in  a  sort  of  path- 
way between  two  ridges  of  snow,  from  twelve 
to  fifteen  feet  high. 

Chariot  went  first  behind  Patrick,  in  order 
to  identify  the  path  he  had  already  traversed. 
Montluc,  his  sword  in  one  hand,  his  pistol  iu 
the  other,  followed  Chariot,  and  I,  Montluo. 
The  rest  kept  in  my  wake.  It  was  in  this  or- 
der  of  battle  that  at  the  end  of  one  hundred 
paces  we  arrived  quite  near  Buffalo,  who, 
wrapped  in  Patrick's  heavy  coat,  was  pacing 
slowly  like  a  sentinel,  keeping  his  ear  alive 
on  the  side  of  the  fort  to  what  was  going  on 
there,  and  impatiently  awaiting  us.  Just  then 
we  heard  the  roll  of  the  drum. 

"  That  is  the  signal  to  relieve  guard,"  said 
Patrick,  ' '  and  quit  the  fort  to  take  exercise 
in  the  plain  below." 

' '  Attention ! "  cried  Montluc,  ' '  Here  cornea 
tbe  game.  Silence  in  the  ranks.  If  a  single 
word  is  uttered  I  shall  send  a  ball  through  the 
speaker's  head." 

And,  my  faith  for  it,  he  would  have  done 
BO,  for  he  does  not  imderstand  pleasantry  iu 
moments  of  seriousness.  At  the  same  time  he 
took  Patrick  aside,  put  a  few  questions  to 
him,  seemed  satisfied  with  the  answers  he 
got,  signed  to  me  to  approach,  and  said  in  a 
low  voice:  "Kildare,  this  is  what  you  will 
have  to  do.  Listen  attantively  and  don't  lose 
a  word.  All  our  lives  depend  on  this.  .  .  . 
Yon  will  put  on  the  skin  of  an  English  ser* 
geant." 

I  interrupted  him,  thinking  he  was  sUghtly 
crazy  or  that  he  was  making  fun  of  me,  but 
he  was  in  perfect  possession  of  all  his  senses 
and  speaking  seriously. 

"But  we  have  no  Englishman  to  flay,"  I 
exclaimed,  "and  if  we  had."    .     .     . 

"You  would  not  do  it?"  itdded  Montluo, 
smiUng,  "and  you  would  not  be  wrong. 
What  I  call  the  skin  of  an  Englishman  is  his 
hairy  coat,  or,  if  you  prefer  it,  his  bear-skin 
overcoat.  Just,  for  example,  Uke  the  one  my 
friend  Buffalo  has  only  i«oently  borrowed 


42 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


from  my  other  friend  Patrick.  .  .  .  You 
will  possess  yourself,  accordiugly,  of  the  skiu 
of  uu  EugUsh  sergeant,  I  shiill  provide  the 
Euglishmau  and  the  skin.  You  will  charge 
yourself  with  the  task  of  putting  it  on,  and 
enter  the  fort  with  Patrick,  who  will  act  as 
guide  as  soon  as  the  garrison  shall  have  come 
out.  You  will  both  proceed  to  the  guard- 
room where  the  poor  fellows  who  stay  in  are 
forced,  on  account  of  the  cold,  to  crowd 
around  the  fire ;  take  hold  of  the  guns  that 
must  be  hanging  on  the  rack,  shoot  down 
whoever  attempts  to  prevent  you,  keep  the 
loaded  pieces,  with  the  priming  in  order,  and 
await  my  arrival  to  support  you. " 

"But  I  shall  be  recognized  at  the  first 
glance." 

"  You  will  not,"  said  Montluc,  "for  I  shall 

give  you  a  sergeant's  big  overcoat 

These  Fitzgeralds,  they  always  fancy  that  one 
can  see  written  on  the  tips  of  their  noses  that 
they  are  Earls  of  Kildare  I  Go  to,  my  lord, 
go  to — when  you  shall  be  recognized  it  will 
be  too  late  for  that  recognition  to  profit  the 
enemy." 

"Then,  with  a  gesture  enjoining  silence 
on  all,  he  glided  toward  Bulialo  with  his 
friend Pied-de-Cerf  aud  made  ine  a  sign  not  to 
breathe  a  word  of  his  instructions  to  any  one. 
At  the  same  moment  I  heard  the  hard  snow 
crackle  under  the  measured  tread  of  the  sol- 
dier. I  moved  my  head  forward  aud  saw  a 
sergeant  and  a  private  come  out  of  the  fort 
and  advance  toward  Buffalo,  who  was  pre- 
tending to  be  walking  to  and  fro,  but  who 
kept  watching  from  cue  corner  of  his  eve. 
Frankly  speaking,  my  heart  was  beating  a 
httle,  for  these  two  doomed  soldiers  must  be 
not  only  killed,  but  killed  noiselessly.  The 
least  outcry  would  have  roused  the  fort  and 
ruined  our  game,  I  understood  then  why 
Montluc  had  been  unwilling  to  entrust  this 
task  to  any  of  us." 

"The  path  followed  by  the -sergeant  and 
the  rehef -guard  took  a  sharp  turn  to  the  right, 
where,  from  the  depth  of  the  snow,  it  was 
impossible  for  them  to  see  the  danger  that 
lay  in  their  way.  All  at  once  I  saw  Montluc 
stretch  out  his  arms,  and  with  two  iron  palms, 
seize  the  sergeant  around  the  neck  and  bring 
him  to  the  ground  without  giving  him  time 
to  speak.  Pied-de-Cerf,  on  his  side,  had  a 
httle  more  trouble ;  but  the  sight  of  the  bayo- 
neted-gun  which  Buffalo  placed  near  his 
throat  before  he  had  time  to  make  a  defense 
reduced  the  soldier  to  silence. 

"  'Now, 'said  Montluc,  to  his  two  prisoners, 
'off  with  your  uniforms  and  bearskins  .  .  . 
Let  yon,  Kildare,  put  on  the  sergeant's  uni- 
form, eaxd  Patrick  will  put  on  the  private's. 


for  we  must  respect  order,  and  go  together  to 
the  guard-room  like  a  good  sergeant  and  a 
good  private  who  have  just  come  on  rehef. 
Patrick  will  point  the  way  and  you  will  do 
what  I  have  said.  Above  aU,  let  tliere  bo  no 
undue  haste  .  .  .  Wait  until  the  garrison 
shall  have  left  the  fort  for  their  exercise.'  " 

'•Just  then  a  second  roU  of  the  dnum  was 
heard." 

"That  means,"  said  Patrick,  "that  Colonel 
Boz  Kareutbock  is  passing  down  the  hues, 
aud  examining  if  the  uniforms  are  aU  but- 
toned according  to  ordinance.  'Tis  the  most 
important  part  of  the  day's  service.  It  will 
last  at  least  half  an  hour. 

"  'And  after  inspection,'  inquired  Montluc, 
'what  conies  next?' 

'"At  the  third  roll  of  the  drum,'  said 
Patrick,  '  the  whole  garrison  begins  to  move 
out  of  the  fort,  except  the  fifty  men  in  the 
guard-room,  and  the  Colonel  goes  to  his  room 
to  drink,  smoke,  and  play  cards  with  his  heu- 
tenant.' 

"There  was  a  long  silence.  We  awaited 
impatiently  the  third  roU  of  the  drum.  At 
length  a  ra-ta-ta  was  heard,  somewhat  muf- 
fled by  the  snow,  and  we  could  hear  the 
regular  tread  of  the  soldiers  as  they  marched 
in  silent  rows  before  faUing  into  line  in  the 
plain.  It  was  the  decisive  moment.  They 
passed  within  thirty  feet  without  seeing  us, 
for  a  bulwark  of  snow  completely  hid  us 
from  view,  and  it  was  fortunate  for  them  and 
us.  They  were  ten  times  more  numerous 
than  we,  and  if  we  joined  battle  we  should 
have  perished  without  doubt,  but  not  without 
a  deadly  struggle." 

"When  they  had  got  about  five  hiindred 
paces  away,  Patrick  and  I  assumed  the  role  of 
advance  guard,  entering  with  the  air  of  good 
fellows,  the  guard-house,  which  was  at  the 
entrance  of  the  fort,  under  a  wooden  cover- 
ing. Patrick,  who  knew  every  nook  and  cor- 
ner of  the  room,  went  first.  As  he  was 
known  by  his  comrades  he  showed  his  face. 
I  followed  him  closely,  taking  care  to  show 
only  my  profile ;  and  the  sergeant's  bear-skin 
coat  almost  entirely  concealed  my  figure.  The 
men  who  were  guarding  the  post  were  all 
seated  or  stretched  and  symmetrically  arrang- 
ed  near  the  great  fire-place,  where  an  old  oak 
was  blazing,  trunk  and  branches  together. 
The  soldiers  that  were  reclining  or  a  pile  of 
planks,  were  sleeping  or  yawning  or  trying  to 
sleep.  Those  who  were  seated  were  playing 
cards  and  drinking,  for  what  can  a  man  do  at 
Hudson  Bay  if  he  does  not  play  cards  and 
has  a  parched  throat  ?  One  of  the  players, 
an  Irishman,  saw  Patrick  and  said  to  him— 
"You've  been  fortunate,  Paddy." 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  CHAMPLAIN. 


4ft 


'halt,  (OMBADE 


t  " 


Patrick  turned  about  with  an  air  of  indif- 
ference. 

"  How  fortunate,  Jemmy  ?" 

"Not  to  be  in  the  ranks  when  old  Boz 
Earentbock  was  inspecting  the  ranks." 

"Why?"  asked  Patrick,  approaching  the 
gun-rack  where  the  muskets  were  hung, 
while  I  was  executing  the  same  little  man- 
asayer. 


"Oh  !"  replied  Jemmy,  '*the  old  fellow  was 
in  a  murderous  humor  to-day.  He  distrib- 
uted, right  and  left,  more  than  five  hundred 
cuffs.  And  if  you  had  been  there  you  should 
have  had  your  share." 

"Ah!"  said  Patrick,  looking  at  me  to  see 
if  it  was  time  to  throw  off  the  mask  ;  "  then 
you  got  it  in  my  absence,  yon  glutton !" 

Everyone  burst    out    laughing.      Mean> 


44 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  CHAMPLAIN. 


while  Patrick  and  I  had  got  to  the  two  ex- 
tremities of  the  gun-rack,  and  no  one  could 
come  near  it  without  our  consent.  I  looked 
to  the  door,  to  see  if  Montluc  was  at  hand.  I 
had  left  it  half  opened,  so  that  a  cold  breeze 
was  coming  in. 

"  Come,  Patrick,"  cried  one  of  the  soldiers, 
"  it  is  freezing  in  here ;  go  shut  the  door." 

'  Close  it  yourself,  if  you  want  to,"  said 
Patrick;  " Am  I  your  servant ?" 

The  soldier  arose,  grumbling  at  Patrick's 
ill-nature.  All  of  a  sudden,  as  he  was  shoot- 
ing the  bolt  of  the  door,  Montluo  appeared, 
pistol  in  one  hand  and  sword  in  the  other, 
and  cried  out,  "Halt !  Comrade." 

These  two  words:  '"Halt  comrade!"  — 
continued  Lord  Eildare — spoken  in  French, 
and  in  a  loud  commanding  voice,  had  an  ex- 
traordinary effect  upon  the  whole  guard. 
There  was  astonishment,  fright  and  almost 
admiration  among  the  soldiers. 

Montluo  dropped  the  bearskin  he  wore,  and 
presented  himself  just  as  you  now  see  him,  in 
his  fine  Louis  XIII.  costume,  with  its  silver 
lace  and  gold  buttons,  magnificent  as  a  prince, 
yet  terrible  and  imposing  as  a  lion. 

The  soldier  in  his  fright  shouted :  ! '  To  armsl 
the  enemy  1 "  At  once  all  the  others  rushed 
forward  to  get  their  guns;  but  I  administered 
such  a  blow  with  my  sword  to  the  firdt  that 
he  fell  sprawling  on  the  floor,  and  the  others 
were  discouraged  by  the  fate  of  their  com- 
rade. As  for  Patrick,  he  was  satisfied  with 
drawing  his  bayonet  without  firing.  Mont- 
luc, who  was  closely  followed  by  his  men, 
said  to  Pied-de-Cerf  :  "Kill  any  one  that 
moves,  but  don't  use  firearms,  lest  you  be 
heard  by  the  men  on  the  plain.  Don't  fire 
till  everything  else  fails."  This  order,  which 
was  so  wise,  was  obeyed  as  well  as  it  could 
be.  Unfortunately,  twelve  or  fifteen  of  their 
soldiers  were  old  Germans,  used  to  surprises 
and  sudden  defences ;  they  seized  the  wooden 
benches  they  had  been  sitting  upon  and  of- 
fered battle.  Two  of  our  men  were  killed, 
a  Frenchman  and  an  Algonquin.  Then 
Montluo  showed  no  further  consideration. 
He  said  to  the  soldiers  who  remained:  "I 
brought  you  peace.  You  have  desired  war. 
80  much  the  worse !  let  all  those  who  wish  to 
surrender  he  down  and  not  stir.  The  rest 
shall  be  put  to  death."  Only  seven  refused  to 
obey.  Two  of  the  bravest  of  these  picked  rp 
a  hatchet  and  a  gun  which  had  fallen  in  the 
scuffie,  and  tried  to  spring  upon  him.  He 
shot  down  one  of  them,  and  run  the  other 
through  with  hia  sword.  At  th^  same  time 
the  other  five,  who  made  a  stout  fight  for 
their  lives,  were  slaiu.  AH  those  who  had 
ob^«d  the  order  of  Montluo  were  spared, 


and  left  together  in  a  comer,  their  feet  and 
hands  bound. 

Unfortimately  poor  Patrick  suffered  the 
penalty  of  his  courage  and  loyalty  to  Kildare. 
One  of  the  soldiers  who  had  surrendered,  and 
was  lying  on  the  ground,  glided  on  his  hands 
and  feet  behind  him,  and  stabbed  him  with  a 
poniard  while  poor  Patrick  was  disposed  to 
fight  like  a  brave  man. 

"  Traitor!"  cried  the  soldier,  as  he  plunged 
his  knife  into  the  poor  fellow's  side. 

I  was  greatly  afflicted  at  the  loss ;  the  fel- 
low was  brave  and  a  good  hitter ;  I  could  see 
it  that  day.  Had  he  lived  he  would  have 
rendered  great  services  to  our  dear  coun- 
try. 

While  I  was  receiving  the  last  sigh  of  poor 
Patrick,  Montluc  was  having  the  gates  of  the 
fort  closed.  He  placed  four  sentinels  in  the 
guard-room  with  instructions  to  kill  instantly 
the  first  prisoner  who  should  make  any  dis- 
turbance or  cry  out  loud.  He  took  posses- 
sion of  the  powder  magazine  and  fortifica- 
tions, which  were  scarcely  guarded  at  all  on 
account  of  the  cold  and  the  distance  it  was 
beUeved  the  French  were  from  the  fort,  and 
without  noise  (for  the  wonderful  part  of  the 
whole  undertaking  was,  that  thanks  to  his 
precautions,  except  four  or  five  shots  which 
could  not  be  avoided  in  the  guard-room,  everj'. 
thing  was  done  with  the  hatchet,  the  sword  or 
the  bayonet),  became  absolute  master  of  the 
whole  place.  I  must  add  that  the  snow  dead- 
ened all  noises,  and  the  savages,  except  on 
rare  occasions,  when  they  bark  like  wolves, 
are  by  habit  the  most  silent  of  men.  As  to 
the  soldiers  of  Colonel  Bozkarentbock,  they 
would  doubtless  have  made  an  outcry  but  for 
the  certainty  that  at  the  first  sound  they 
would  be  shot  down.  Montluo  le  Bouge  was 
too  well  known  in  Canada  and  all  the  EugHsh 
Colonies  to  have  his  word  doubted.  Accord* 
ingly  he  was  obeyed,  and  he  said  to  me : 

"Friend  Kildare,  to  finish  our  work,  we 
have  but  one  thing  more  to  do;  that  is  to 
take  Colonel  Bozkarentbock  prisoner." 

I  volunteered  on  the  spot. 
*  Montluo  rejoined  with  a  smile:  "If  that 
were  all,  I  should  let  you  do  it  and  afford  you 
all  the  pleasure  of  the  enterprise.  But  the 
essential  thing  is  to  work  without  noise,  for 
we  have  but  gone  thro^igh  the  first  stage  of 
the  business,  and  if  t>xe  soldiers  who  are  out- 
side and  the  marines  un  the  man-of-war  should 
assault  us  all  together,  our  expedition  would 
wind  up  worse  than  it  has  begun Re- 
main here  then,  keep  the  gate  closed,  main- 
tain discipline,  prevent  my  good  Algonquins 
from  scalping  the  prisoners  or  pillaging,  for  I 
perceive  tiiey  are  boraiog  with  impatience  for 


THE  gHIEPTAlNS 

this  double  enjoyment But  I  am  off  to 

Colonel  Bozkarentbock." 

He  went  up,  followed  by  two  men,  into  the 
Golouera  room,  entered  without  knocking, 
and  found  this  brave  superior  officer  engaged 
at  a  game  of  ecarte  with  his  lieutenant.  The 
room  was  spacious,  but  badly  furnished,  con- 
taining only  an  oak  bedstead,  a  table  and  a 
few  plain  rustic  chairs. 

At  the  noise  of.  the  door  opening,  the  Colo- 
nel, who  had  just  lost  in  the  game,  and  was 
therefore  in  a  testy  humor,  cried  out  in  a  brusk 
tone  of  voice :  ' '  Who's  there  ?  What  do  you 
want?"  At  the  same  moment  Montluc  entered, 
followed  by  his  two  Canadians,  and  said  to 
him ;  ' '  Colonel  Bozkarentbock,  in  the  name  of 
the  King  of  France,  surrender  your  sword." 
And  ho  advanced  to  receive  it. 

But  Bozkarentbock  no  longer  exhibited  any 
hesitation ;  he  was  an  old  soldier,  a  German 
it  is  tnie,  but  a  courageous  man  and  a  fighter 
for  thirty  years  in  Europe  and  America.  -He 
arose,  pushed  aside  his  chair  with  his  foot, 
took  down  two  loaded  pistols  which  were 
hung  over  his  head  like  a  pair  of  antlers, 
armed  himself  promptly  with  them,  pointed 
them  at  Montluc  and  his  companions,  crying 
out:  "Reitenfels!  attention!  Help!"  Poor 
Keitenf  els  would  have  been  very  glad  to  ren- 
der him  assistance,  but  he  was  fat,  rather 
clumsy  in  his  movements,  and  did  not  have 
time  even  to  unsheath  his  sword. 

But  the  affair  was  already  over.  Montluc, 
who  had  his  sword  in  hand,  observing  the 
Colonel  grasping  his  pistols,  saw  that  he 
would  have  to  cut  off  his  head  at  once ;  so 
the  very  instant  the  Colonel  raised  his  pistol 
to  take  aim,  Montluc  ran  his  sword  through 
his  heart,  killing  him  outright.  The  poor  Ger- 
man fell,  letting  his  arms  drop  out  of  his  stiff- 
ening fingers. 

By  a  singular  chance  one  of  the  pistols,  the 
one  aimed  at  Montluc,  which  might  have 
killed  him,  hung  fire  altogeth-r  so  as  to  be 
perfectly  useless.  The  other,  on  the  con- 
trary, on  falling  to  the  earth,  went  off  without 
being  aimed  at  any  one,  and  struck  Keitenf  els' 
foot  just  at  the  very  moment  he  was  making 
ready  to  help  his  chief.  He  raised  his  leg, 
cursing : 

"Awkward  simpleton,"  he  shouted;  "he 
aims  at  you  and  he  hits  me  !" 

Then  Montluc,  who  is  the  most  serious  gen- 
tleman you  can  find  in  Europe  or  America, 
observed  gravely  to  him :  ' '  Excuse  the  poor 
dead  man,  monsieur.  He  did  not  do  it  inten- 
tionally, and  has  been  pimished  enough  for 
his  want  of  skill."  Then  turning  to  the  two 
Canadians  who  had  accompanied  him :  ' '  Take 
away  Colonel  Bozkarentbock   and  put  him 


OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


i& 


with  the  rest  rf  the  dead,  after  having  firut 
shown  the  remains  to  the  prisoners,  ko  tivit 
they  may  fully  know  they  cannot  count  uu 
him  any  more.  As  for  you,  Beitenfels,  sui-- 
reuder  your  sword."  And  Beitenfels  obeyed, 
and  was  in  no  wise  obstreperous,  for  he  well 
knew  that  he  was  at  the  mercy  of  one  stronger 
than  himself. 

llie  fort  was  taken  but  the  undertaking 
was  not  yet  complete.  Far  from  it,  indeed  I 
There  was  the  English  frigate,  the  Valormin, 
a  ship  of  fifty  great  guns,  with  t^vx)  hundred 
and  fifty  picked  marines  on  board,  and  uutler 
the  command  of  Captain  John  Smith,  a  gei^^ 
uine  sea-dog  who  had  ten  times  over  given 
proof  of  his  ability  and  courage. 

The  morsel  was  hard  to  bray,  enormous  to 
swallow,  and  fearful  to  digest ;  but,  as  Father 
Fleury  says,  Montluc  le  Rouge,  aye,  thin  fine 
gentleman  with  Ihe  biuillutj  luuo  n'Lom  >uu 
see  there.  Monsieur  le  Rouge  would  grind, 
swallow  and  digest  iron  and  bronzej 

He  chose  twenty  of  his  followers,  half  of 
them  French,  half  our  allies,  the  Algonqiiins, 
picked  them  out  one  by  one,  and  when  they 
were  ready  to  set  forth  said  to  me: 
"Kildare,  to  you  I  confide  the  care  of  the 
fort.    ..." 

I  interrupted  him.  I  wanted  to  follow  him 
and  share  his  perils,  but  he  said  to  me  in  a 
low  voice : 

"  If  we  both  went  together,  the  Algonquina 
whom  I  leave  with  you,  no  longer  having  any 
one  to  restrain  them,  would  amuse  themselves 
by  scalping  our  prisoners,  which  would  be 
dishonorable  in  the  first  place,  and  further- 
more might  stir  up  contention  between  them 
and  my  good  Canadians.  Blood  would  flow, 
the  EngUsh  who  are  outside  would  reap  the 
profit  of  the  disorder,  and  occupy  the  fort 
once  more.     Remain  here." 

But  how  will  you  with  twenty  men  attack 
a  frigate  manned  by  a  crew  of  ten.  times  your 
number,  and  equipped  with  artillery  to  boot. 

"I  shall  tell  you,"  he  replied,  smiling,  "on 
my  return,  that  is,  if  I  should  ever  return. 
Au  revoir." 


CHAPTER  X. 

WHEEEIN   IT   IS   SEEN   THAT   SPLEEN    IB    A    DAN- 
QEBOTJ8  ENEMY. 

Montluc  having  chosen  twenty  men,  made 
them  put  on  fho  red  coats  and  furred  coats  of 
the  English  soldiers,  attired  himself  similarly, 
ordered  the  gate  to  be  opened,  and  gave  the 
word  to  march.  The  little  band  marched 
toward  the  frigate  Valorous,  which  was  gently 
dozing  on  the  sea  like  »*  child  in  its  cradle, 
held  firmly  in  its  place  at  first  by  its  anchors, 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAMP;LAIN. 


TH£  DEATH  07   THS  COhOKEL. 


but  later  on  by  the  ice  which  clung  to  its 
sides. 

What  took  place  afterwards  I  did  not  see, 
the  fort,  from  which  I  looked,  being  five  or 
six  hundred  feet  distant  from  the  frigate,  but 
I  h^d  all  the  details  from  Chariot  and  Buf- 
falo. But  let  me  explain  to  you  in  the  first 
place  how  things  went  aboard  the  English 


ship.     You  win  thereby  the  better  understand 
what  follows. 

The  luckless  vessel  had  been  ice-bound  for 
five  months  and  the  entire  crew  were  wearied 
to  death.  Their  only  distraction  was  eating 
salt  beef,  salt  pork,  salt  mutton  and  salt  seal. 
Everything  that  they  ate  was  salty,  except 
the  herring,  and  that  was  smoked.   When  one 


THE  CHIIFTAINS  OP  CHAMPLAIN. 


Mts  food  that  is  alwayn  salty,  and  too  Halty, 
and  ib  redaoed  to  eating  npoilod  victualH  at 
every  meal,  then  every  man  reveals  his  true 
disposition.  Borne  catch  the  spleen,  others 
the  scurvy. 

Spleen,  or,  if  you  like  the  word  better,  hy- 
pochondria— Father — is  a  maludy  of  the  soul ; 
scurvy,  a  disense  of  the  body.  That  is  the 
difference.  But  they  have  a  terrible  resem- 
blance, both  put  you  in  the  same  box. 
So  the  aavaiUt,  and  especially  Father  Fleury, 
got  alrQ08t  the  same  estimate  upom  them. 

They,  the  crew  of  the  Valorous,  were  af- 
flictod  by  symptoms  of  the  two  malndies,  and 
were  likely  to  melt  away  in  this  laud  of  snow 
like  a  lump  of  sugar  in  a  glass  of  water.  Five 
Bailors  died  of  the  scurfy  in  the  first  month, 
some  of  half  spleen  half  scurvy,  at  the  end  of 
the  second  month  twelve  others,  at  the  end  of 
the  third  month  matters  were  growing  worse, 
as  you  see,  every  day. 

Old  John  Smith,  who  loved  his  men,  and 
was  in  turn  loved  by  them,  became  sadder  and 
sadder.  He  felt  that  discipline  was  growing 
lax,  and  yet  dared  not  be  too  rigorous  lest  he 
might  drive  his  men  to  despair.  At  last,  to 
aniuso  and  at  the  same  time  afford  them  ex- 
ercise, he  permitted  them  to  himt  the  seal 
and  the  bear,  gave  two  or  three  holidays  at  a 
time  to  the  officers — a  permission  that  seemed 
unaccompanied  by  any  danger,  this  was  so  re- 
mote f I'om  any  of  the  French  colonies ;  even 
himself,  he  now  and  then  rambled  about,  en- 
tnisting  his  command  sometimes  to  his  lieu- 
tenant, and  sometimes  to  a  mere  midship- 
man. 

From  Father  Fleury  and  the  Algouquins, 
Moutluc  le  Rouge  ascertained  all  these  de- 
tails before  leaving  home ;  'twas  this  infomia. 
lion  which  had  furnished  his  father  and  him- 
self with  the  idea  of  an  expedition  so  ven- 
turesome yet  so  glorious,  and  in  the  event  of 
Kuccess,  BO  beneficial,  for  all  the  provisions 
and  BuppUes  of  the  English  in  food,  arms, 
costly  merchandise  and  furs  were  stored  in 
Fort  Hudson.  To  seize  the  fort  by  strategy  was 
to  ruin  for  a  year  all  their  enterprises  in  that 
immense  country  that  lies  to  the  north  of 
Canada. 

In  all  the  amusements  which  old  John 
Smith  had  been  obhged  to  accord  his  crew 
foi«  their  distraction  and  enlivenment  but  one 
was  wanting — and  that  was  boxing.  This 
was  the  reason  for  the  omission :  John  Smith 
was  a  zealous  puritan  of  the  strait-laced 
Bchool  of  the  Scottish  Cameronians,  who  be- 
lieve that  it  is  unlawful  to  enjoy  the  smallest 
pleasure  in  this  world,  unless  it  is  of  the 
strictest  and  gloomiest  kind.  Dancing,  box- 
iug,  breaking  heads  and  noses  or  contributing 


thereto  in  any  manner,  were  joya  too  de- 
lightful for  old  John  Smith  to  permit  to 
his  crew.  Hunting  and  fishing— well  and 
good.  And  still  so  great  was  the  passion  for 
this  sport  that  the  poor  sailors  of  the  Volar' 
oua  were  obliged  to  box  in  secret,  in  obscure 
comers,  Hko  sweet-toothed  little  girls  who 
particularly  prey  on  sweetmeats  and  jam- 
pots. Moutluc  was  a  w^are  c*  this,  and  calcn< 
lated  upou  it  as  an  element  of  his  enteqiribo. 

He  also  knew  that  John  Smith,  rigid  and 
severe  as  he  was,  was  not  at  the  same  time 
adverse  to  hunting  the  white  bear.  On  the 
contrary,  he  was  passionately  fond  of  that 
pastime ;  and  just  a  Uttle  distance  from  the 
fort  and  the  frigate,  not  more  than  thirty  or 
forty  leagues,  he  had  been  informed  that  ho 
should  find  a  discreet  place,  a  perfectly  ex- 
quisite httle  retreat,  where  thirty  families  of 
white  bears  had  taken  up  their  quarters. 
There,  at  least,  one  would  not  run  the  danger 
of  starving. 

Upon  this  report,  furnished  by  an  Esqui- 
meaux,  whom  Father  Fleury  had  converted  to 
the  Catholic  faith.  Captain  John  Smith  set  out 
in  all  haste  with  his  entire  staff,  save  the  young 
midshipman,  scarcely  eighteen  years  old,  who 
was  left  to  take  charge  of  the  ship  and  was 
angry  at  not  being  able  to  accompany  tho 
others  on  the  chase.  While  he  was  chafing 
with  vexation  and  from  the  top  of  the  frigate 
aimlessly  regarding  the  horizon  (except  the 
fort  nothing  was  to  be  seen  but  a  great  illiniit- 
able  stretch  of  plain,  covered  all  over  with 
snow  and  ice),  Montluo  debouched  slowly 
with  his  little  band  of  followers,  with  no  visi- 
ble arms,  their  pistols  and  swords  being  con- 
cealed by  their  cloaks,  and  halted  at  thirty 
feet  from  the  frigate. 


CHAPTER  :^.— {Continued.) 

now  A  BOXINQ  MATCH  MAY  BK  USED  TO  CAPTURB 
A  MAN-OF-WAB. 

The  astonished  midshipman,  Kildare,  went 
on  and  asked  himself  what  the  red-coats 
were  doing  there  on  his  grounds.  I  say  hi» 
grounds,  although,  in  point  of  fact,  it  was 
rather  his  ice,  for  Montluc  was  five  hundred 
feet  from  the  shore ;  you  could  not  distin- 
guish land  and  sea,  both  being  frozen.  He 
looked  through  his  telescope  at  the  newcom. 
ers,  recognized  none  of  them,  but  observed 
that  they  had  come  to  a  halt,  that  half  a 
dozen  of  the  party  had  taken  off  their  bear- 
skins, and  that  two  of  the  number  were  un- 
dressing  themselves. 

The  midshipman  was  surprised. 

A  boatswain  who  was  a  little  behind  him, 
at  a  respectable  distan«e,  as  in  duty  bound, 


48 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CUAMFLAIN. 


but  who  was  watching  the  prooeedinga  juHt 
RH  attentively  an  hiu  Huperior  ofticer,  was  uh 
uinch  Hurpriued  uh  hiu  couipauion. 

Ah  the  iiiiilHhipiuuu  turued  round  toward 
the  hoHtNwain,  the  latter  muHt  have  thought 
that  it  waH  an  iuvitatiou  to  couverHO  with  his 
chief,  and  exclaimed:    '•  Tliere'H  fun  !" 

"  Johnny,"  rejoined  the  officer,  "it  lookH 
to  nio  nH  if  they  were  getting  ready  for  a  box- 
ing match.     What  do  you  think  ?" 

"That  is  my  idea,"   miid  the  boatswain. 

Just  then  the  two  CanadiauH,  who  had  di- 
■yested  themselvos  of  their  vests,  made  a 
movement  aH  if  to  take  oflF  their  Hhirts  and 
dispense  with  everything  but  their  trowsers 
and  boots. 

"Decidedly,"  said  the  midshipman,  "these 
fellows  are  going  to  enjoy  themselves  more 
than  wo  do." 

"I  think  BO  too,  sir,"  said  the  boatswain, 
heaving  a  deep  sigh.  ' '  But  if  you  would 
only  allow" — 

"What?" 

' '  We  might  have  a  little  boxing  match 
aboard,  while  the  Captain  is  away." 

"Oh I"  the  midshipman  indignantly  ex- 
claimed, "and  the  instructions,  Johnny! 
You  know  your  duty." 

"Yes,  sir,"  replied  the  abashed  boatswain. 

"You  take  command  of  the  vessel,  then," 
said  the  middy,  "  for  I  am  going  down  to  see 
this  match." 

And  with  that  he  spoke  through  his  speak- 
ing trumpet  to  the  Canadians : 

"  Hallo,  friends  I    Wait  a  moment." 

Moutluc  was  gravely  reading  from  a  paper 
the  conditions  of  the  match. 

He  turned  aside  his  head,  began  to  laugh, 
and  remiu-ked  to  his  men:  "Attention!  the 
gudgeon  has  taken  the  bait." 

At  the  same  time  he  made  a  sign  to  suspend 
the  preparations  for  the  match,  and  with  a  de- 
ferential air  awaited  the  arrival  on  the  scene 
of  the  midshipman,  who,  in  order  that  he 
might  reach  the  place  the  sooner,  and  not 
lose  the  sport,  had  cleared  the  bulwarks  of 
the  frigate,  and  rushed  on  headlong,  like  a 
race  horse,  in  his  course. 

Montluc  held  out  his  hand  to  the  midship- 
man, who  clasped  it  cordially,  and  remarked — 

"From  what  I  can  see,  lieutenant"  (Monthio 
had  assumed  a  lieutenant's  uniform)  "your- 
self and  your  men  are  having  a  holiday ! " 

"As  you  say,"  replied  Montluc,  in  good 
English;   "and  you,  sir?" 

"Oh !  as  to  us,"  said  the  middy,  with  a  sad 
expression  of  face,  ' '  we  are  doing  penance. " 

"For  Captain  Smith's  sins  to  all  appear- 
ances ?"  added  Moutluc.  with  a  smile. 

"Just  as  you  say^lieuteuant,  for  his  sins. 


The  worst  of  it  is,  that  old  Smith  Is  mont 
zealous  to  convert  us,  while  he  denioN  himself 
no  kind  of  pleasure.  .  .  .  Would  you  be- 
lieve tlmt  at  this  very  moment  he  is  off  bear- 
hunting,  and  has  loft  me  alone  with  thirty- 
three  men  to  watch  the  V(ii<»'ous.  But  it 
seems  that  you  are  more  fortunate,  and  that 
old  Bo/karentbock  does  not  keep  you  under 
such  restraint?"  .  .  . 

"Indeed,"  said  Montlnc,  "the  Colonel  puts 
no  restraint  on  his  men.  ' 

' '  And  he  is  not  trying  to  convert  you  ?'* 

"No,  indeed;  ho  uovor  again  will  convert 
any  one,"  Montluc  replied,  gravely. 

The  midshipman,  wlio  know  nothing  al>out 
what  had  taken  place  in  the  fort,  was  not  as- 
tonished at  this  reply.  Montlno  was  pur- 
posely protracting  the  conversation  awaiting 
some  further  development. 

Meanwhile  this  was  what  was  happening  on 
board  the  Valorous.  Seeing  his  superior 
officer  descend  from  the  ship,  the  boatswain 
thought  of  following  his  example  and  wit- 
nessing the  fight.  Accordingly  ho,  in  his 
turn,  had  come  down.  The  soldiers  had  fol- 
lowed the  boatswain,  and  oven  the  watch  on 
guard  himself,  laying  aside  his  musket  and 
attracted  by  the  general  curiosity,  had  hur- 
ried along,  hiding  behind  ail  the  others.  At 
the  same  moment.  Chariot  and  Buffalo,  ghd- 
ing  along  behind  the  snow-heaps,  boarded  the 
Valorous,  set  fire  to  the  Captain's  berth,  the 
berths  of  the  officers,  the  quarter-deck,  and  a 
barrel  of  whiskey  which  they  rolled  up  against 
the  powder-magazine,  and  sliding  with  all 
speed  down  a  rope  which  hung  down  the  hull 
of  the  frigate,  retraced  their  stops  to  the 
place  where  Montluc  was,  just  as  the  two 
Canadians  were  i^osturing  for  the  combat. 

"Fire!  fire  1"  cried  Chariot. 

At  this  cry  the  midshipman  turned  round 
and  beheld  a  dense  smoke  issuing  from  the 
frigate.  This  time  he  forgot  the  boxing  and 
boxers,  looked  around  him,  recognized  his 
crow  who  hud  followed  him,  and  full  of  alarm 
rushed  toward  the  vessel,  commanding  his 
men  to  follow.  At  the  same  time  Montluc 
made  a  sign  to  his  men  tc  dress  as  speedily  as 
possible  and  betake  themselves  to  the  fort. 

I  saw  them  returning  at  full  si>eed,  while 
the  English  soldiers  were  running  in  the  oppo- 
site direction,  toward  the  frigate,  Pid  I  could 
scarcely  comprehend  this  double  a  id  unique 
movement  of  the  two  leaders.  But  all  at  once 
a  huge  flame  leaped  from  the  frigate  midships, 
and  was  almost  instantly  follo\vod  by  a  teiti- 
ble  explosion.  The  Valorous  haiheen; — but 
it  was  no  more.  Two  or  tliree  sailors,  who 
were  cpiicker  than  the  others  to  reach  their 
ports,  were  blown  up  at  the  same  time.     The 


TH£  CHI£VrAIN8  OF  OHAMPLAIN. 


4t 


THE     OBOXJP     ON     THE     ICE. 


rest,  wfth  the  midshipman,  were  only  splashed 
all  over  with  muddy  water. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE    PBOLOOUE    OF    THE    THIRD    ACT. 

I  had  caused  the  gate  of  the  ^ort  to  be 
thrown  open,  and  Monluo  '  Roi\,^  and  his 
men  came  tumbUng  in,  panting  and  out  of 
breath,  but  full  of  rejoicing.  We  hastened  to 
re-lock,  barricade  and  load  the  cannons. 


Montluc's  first  word  was:  "  The  piece  con- 
sists of  three  acts.  The  first  and  second  have 
been  completely  successful.  Now,  for  the 
third.  .  .  ,  Beware  of  the  assault  I  We  no 
longer  have  to  make  the  attack,  but  to  with- 
stand it." 

He  distributed  among  his  men  a  double  al- 
lowance of  salt  beef  and  ham,  of  whioh  there 
was  abundant  supply  in  the  storehouKe  of  the 
fort,  a  double  allowance  of  beer  and  whiskey, 


so 


THIS  CHIEPTAINS  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


put  &I1  hie*  priBoners  in  a  sort  of  cell  or  dungeon 
— dark,  but  j>iot  iinwholesome — so  tliat  we 
might  not  have  to  fear  an  enemy  inside  as 
well  as  outside,  and  issued  the  order  that  no 
one,  under  pain  of  death,  should  leave  his 
post. 

Having  taken  these  precautions,  he  awaited 
the  English  with  the  same  serenity  and  gaiety 
of  manner  with  which  he  would  receive  the 
visit  of  a  friend  or  relative.  Accordingly, 
we  were  all  on  our  guard,  full  of  confidence 
in  our  success,  when  suddenly  the  roll  of  the 
drum  was  heard  at  a  short  distance. 

"  There's  the  enemy,"  exclaimed  Montluc. 

The  gai  rison  of  the  fort  scattered  over  the 
plain  at  their  exercise,  formed  into  Une  at 
once  upon  hearing  the  explosion  of  the  Val- 
orotiH.  An  officer  had  nm  on  to  ascertain  the 
cause  of  the  disaster,  and  the  others  were 
hurrying  forward  their  men  in  all  parts  to  the 
fort,  not  knowing  what  danger  could  be  men- 
acing them. 

The  officer  who  h'ad  gone  to  ascertain  about 
the  frigate,  returned  almost  immediately.  He 
had  met  the  crew  all  terror-stricken  at  the 
mysterious  disaster,  and  the  midshipman  who 
was  tearing  his  hair  in  despair.  At  this  news 
the  soldiers  altered  their  course,  and  under 
officers'  commands  went  to  bear  succor  to  the 
marines  of  the  Valorous.  But  there  was 
nothing  for  them  to  do.  Everything  was 
scattered  about,  demolished  into  little  pieces. 

When  the  two  branches  of  the  service  had 
came  together,  the  major,  who  had  been  di- 
recting the  manoeuvers  of  the  regiment,  de- 
manded of  the  midshipman  : 

'   How  did  this  disaster  occur,  Jones  ?" 

' '  Can  any  one  tell  ?"  replied  the  midshipman. 
Does  any  one  e  ,'er  know  how  these  things  oc- 
cur? 'Tis  the  devil  that  is  intermeddling 
with  our  affairs." 

"  Then  you  were  not  aboard  the  frigate  since 
you  saw  nothing  ?"  rejoined  the  Major,  who 
wfw  an  old  soldier,  and  not  without  great 
presence  of  mind. 

"What  business  of  yours  is  it.  Major," 
ahaiply  replied  Jones,  much  embarrassed, 
"  to  know  where  I  was;  you  are  not  my  su- 
perior officer.  Am  I  obliged  to  render  an  ac- 
count of  ray  actions  to  a  land  officer?" 

"Jones,"  cried  the  captain,  "if  you  won't 
an.swer  the  questions  of  an  officer  of  the  land 
forces  (and  I  believe  it  would  be  neither 
ju8t  nor  expedient),  perhaps  you  will  answer 
mine." 

"I  am  ready,  Captain,"  modestly  replied 
the  unlucky  midshipman. 

"Jonas,"  continued  Smith,  "who  is  the 
gbutloman  to  whom  I  entrusted  the  command 
of  the  Valorous  during  my  absence  ?" 


"I  am  the  person,  Captain. ** 

"Jones,  what  is  the  princip^  ^a*^  ^<f  A 
gentleman  in  the  commission  of  his  Majesty, 
and  delegated  by  his  superior  to  guard  a  fort 
in  time  of  war  ?"  And  as  Jones  bowed  his 
head  and  remained  silent — "Shoulditnot  be," 
continued  Smith,  "to  guard  that  fortnight 
and  day?"  .  .  .  Jones  did  not  budge.  "If 
this  is  so, "  continued  the  Captain,  ' '  does  not 
the  gentleman  who  has  failed  in  duty  expose 
hunself  to  the  punishment  of  high  treason?" 

' '  Captain, "  said  Jones,  raising  his  head  at 
this  accusation,  "I  was  absent,  it  is  true  ;  but 
others  besides  me,  of  higher  grade  in  the 
service,  were  absent  also.  I  am  not  the  only 
gentleman  in  his  Majesty's  service  who  has 
taken  leave. " 

This  was  such  a  home  thrust  that  Captain 
Smith,  whose  conscience  was  not  at  ease,,  any 
more  than  the  rest  of  the  officers  of  the  frigate, 
hastened  to  interrupt  Jones,  saying  :  ' '  My 
lad,  'tis  a  generous  matter;  every  one  has 
his  faults,  and  each  must  repair  his  own  as 
well  as  he  can.  But,  upon  my  soul,  there 
never  was  a  more  terrible  or  unforsecn  calam- 
ity.    Where  were  yon  during  the  burning  ?" 

"Alas,  Captain,"  answered  Jones  modestly ; 
"I  had  left  the  ship  to  look  on  at  a  most  mag- 
nificent boxing  match  between  two  hearty 
fellows." 

"  A  boxing  match  !"  cried  Smith;  "well 
I  knew  that  boxing  was  and  will  be  a  tempta- 
tion of  BeLzebub."  But,  then,  you  know  at 
least — he  said  after  a  moment's  reflection — 
"  who  won  the  match  ?" 

"  I  do  not  know,"  replied  Jones.  The 
fighters,  the  seconds  and  some  soldiers  who 
accompanied  them,  vanished  when  we  cried 
out:     "Fire  I" 

"'Tis  strange,"  said  the  Major,  "  no  one 
spoke  of  boxing  this  morning.  Well,  we 
shall  doubtless  find  them  in  the  fort.  Come 
with  us.  Captain,  you  and  your  brave  ma- 
rines ;  our  soldiers  will  make  room  for  them 
at  the  fire  and  the  candle  light  while  forming 
some  resolution  ;  you  need  have  no  fear  about 
either  your  men  or  yourself.  Captain  Smith. 
We  have  two  years'  provisions  in  the  fort.  And, 
meanwhile,  I  shall  order  a  breakfast  that  will 
serve  as  a  dirmer." 

John  Smith  thanked  him  with  feeling. 

' '  Should  we  not, "  replied  the  Major,  ' '  treat 
our  friends  in  this  way  ?  Would  not  you  do 
the  same  for  me  if  I  were  in  the  same  unfor- 
tunate circumstances!" 

"I  should  try  to  do  even  more  if  it  were  in 
my  power,"  rejoined  Smith,  but  that  will  not 
prevent  us  from  fully  appreciating  all  your 
kindness. 

"By  the  way,"    added    Major   Steingold, 


THE  CHIEPTAIN8  OP  CHAMPLAIN. 


fil 


"the  blowing  up  of  the  frigate  must  have  ear- 
ned off  your  clothes  and  money." 

"Everything,  even  my  three  changes  of 
•wigs,"  said  Smith.  "Oh,  the  devil  does 
many  a  thing  when  his  hand  is  once  in." 

And  thus  the  two  officers  were  philosophiz- 
ing as  they  approached  the  fort.  (You  will 
presently  know  how  I  have  been  able  to  re- 
peat even  to  the  least  detail  of  their  conver- 
sation.) The  last  words  of  Steingold  were 
these  :  "I  promise  you  a  bowl  of  turtle  soup 
that  you  will  lick  your  fingers  after.  My 
head  cook  is  a  marvel  at  turtle  soup." 

Then  he  raised  his  eyes  suddenly  to  the 
entrance  of  the  fort,  and  saw  floating  in  the 
breeze  the  white  flag  with  the  Fleur  de  lyse. 
If  ever  man  was  amazed,  it  was  the  Major. 

"My  God!"  he  cried,   "  what  flag  is  that  ?" 

Then  Montluc,  who  from  the  height  of  the 
ramiiarts,  was  surveying  the  plain,  began  to 
speak  and  poUtely  answered  : 

"Major,'  'tis  the  flag  of  his  Majesty  the 
King  of  France  and  mine.     Salute  it  I" 


CHAPTER  X.—(Co7icitwt(W.) 

ONE  AGAINST   A   THOUSAND. 

LoBD  Klldabe,  with  a  smile,  continued  his 
vwrrative,  which  filled  me  with  the  liveUest 
Interest. 

"  The  amazement  of  Major  Steingold,"  said 
he,  "soon  gave  way  to  fury." 

"'Surrender,  rascals!'  he  shouted,  'or  I 
will  put  you  to  the  sword!'  " 

"'Major,'  replied  Montluc,  'an  English 
gentleman  should  always  be  poUte.'  " 

"  '  I  don't  want  to  be  poUte,'  rejoined  the 
Major ;  '  I  am  no  Englishman.  I  am  Major 
Steingold,  a  gentleman  of  Westphalia.  Sur- 
render the  fort,  or  I  will  have  you  hanged!' ' 

"  'Be  off,  *  said  Montluc,  '  or  I  will  give  you 
a  dose  of  grapeshot,  and  if  I  take  you  alive, 
I  shall  employ  you  to  black  my  boots.'  " 

"  At  this  time  he  directed  six  guns  to  be  so 
placed  that  they  might  cover  the  soldiers  and 
marines  who  were  in  the  rear  of  Steingold 
and  John  Smith.  But  the  latter,  who  had  a 
cooler  head  than  Steingold,  and,  besides,  was 
not  involved  in  any  dispute  with  Montluc, 
raised  his  hand  as  if  to  iutuuate  that  he 
viflhed  to  ask  a  queston : 

"'Sir?'" 

"  'I  am  Montluc  le  Bouge,  oldest  son  of 
Boron  Hannibal  of  Montluc. '  " 

"At  these  words  Steingold  seemed  to  be 
confoundeiL  The  name  of  Montluc  le  Bouge 
was  ao  dre«ded  in  all  North  America,  that  he 
saw  all  hia  soldiers  shudder,  and  old  John 
Snith  frowned  uneasily.  For  all  that  he 
continued  to  speak:" 


"  '  It  is  you,  then,  Monsieur  Montluc,  who 
have  just  burned  my  frigate  ?' " 

"  ' So  it  seems.'" 

' '  '  And  you  have  tfiken  the  fort  ?' " 

"  '  As  you  see.'  " 

"  '  What  has  become  of  Colonel  Bozkarent- 
bock  ?' " 

'"He  is  dead.'" 

"  'And  Lieutenant-Colonel  Eeitenfels?'  " 

"  '  He  has  a  ball  in  the  heel.  Otherwise  he 
is  well,  and  presents  you  his  compliments.'  " 

' '  '  What  have  you  done  with  the  gar- 
rison?'" 

"'Killed  twelve  of  them,  and  wounded 
tv7enty-four.  There  are  seventeen  others  who 
are  my  prisoners.  The  wounded  and  the 
prisoners  are  as  well  treated  as  the  place  and 
the  means  at  hand  will  permit.  As  to  the 
dead,  if  you  wish  to  bury  them  with  miUtary 
honors,  I  am  ready  to  deliver  their  remains  to 
you.'" 

' '  '  And  in  order  to  bum  the  frigate  and 
take  the  fort,'  asked  John  Smith,  with  a 
heavy  sigh,  'how  many  men  did  you  have?'  " 

"  'How  does  that  concern  you,  Captain 
Smith?'  Montluc  asked.  "Does  a  bold  Enghsh 
mariner  count  his  enemies  ?  We  may  be  four, 
we  may  be  forty;  perhaps  we  number  four 
hundred,  perhaps  four  thousand,  or  forty 
thousand.  Who  will  ever  know  our  numbers 
excepting  yoiu-self,  if  you  make  an  attack?' ' 

' '  John  Smith  took  Steingold  aside  and  con- 
ferred with  him." 

"  'By  the  way,'  said  Montluc,  'let  me  give 
you  some  advice.  Captain  Smith.  '  " 

"'Advice  to  me,'  said  the  Englishman, 
haughtily,  drawing  himself  up  to  liis  full 
height." 

' ' '  Yes,  to  you,  Captain.  You  have  not 
had  breakfast,  is  not  that  so  ?' " 

"'Montluc  le  Rouge,'  said  the  Captain, 
'we  have  provisions  for  six  months,  and  if 
you  do  not  deliver  up  the  place  gracefully, 
we  shall  proceed  with  the  assault. '  " 

' '  '  You  are  wrong,'  retorted  Montluc.  '  You 
have  but  one  way  to  get  your  breakfast,  that 
is,  to  give  up  your  arms,  pile  them  in  a  heap 
thirty  paces  hence,  where  I  shall  cause  them 
to  be  taken,  and  obey  me  in  everything ;  for, 
by  my  honor,  except  some  deer,  which  are 
better  runners  than  you,  there  is  not  within 
two  hundred  leagues  in  circumference*  a 
pound  of  meat  or  bread.  I  don't  speak,  to 
bo  sure,  of  the  provisions  in  the  fort,  which 
are  immense,  as  I  have  just  assured  my 
eyes.  Surrender  your  arms,  if  you  don't  chose 
to  die  of  hunger.'  " 

"  Steingold  began  to  blaspheme.  To  Bur- 
render  or  die  of  hunger  I  For  what  did  they 
take  him  ?  for  some  poor  peasant?    Yet,  his 


£0 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  OHAMPLAIN. 


principal  grief  was  the  idea  of  losing  his  break- 
fast. John  Smith,  a  practical  kind  of  fellow, 
neither  swore  nor  blasphemed.  He  took  a 
clear,  dispasKionate  view  of  the  situation,  and 
he  said,  "  Comrades,  we  are  all  unfortunate, 
and  I  have  lost  my  frigate ;  you  have  lost  your 
fortress  out  and  out !  " 

"'I  have  lost  it!'  exclaimed  the  German. 
♦Not  I, — I  did  not  suflfer  the  fort  to  be  cap- 
tured, but  Colonel  Bozkarentbock — '—^  " 

"  '  Just  exactly  my  case,'  said  Smith,  burst- 
ing into  a  laugh.  'I  did  not  allow  the  Val. 
orous  to  be  burned  up,  but  Jones  did. 
In  your  case,  it  is  your  superior  who  was 
guilty  of  folly;  in  mine,  my  inferior.  It 
comes  to  the  same  after  all,  Steingold.' " 

"'Then  why  talk  to  me  about  it?'  de. 
manded  the  still  furious  WestphaUan." 

'  •  '  To  tell  you,  dear  friend,  that,  not  hav- 
ing bread,  wine,  beer,  vegetables,  nor  even 
water  fit  to  drink — for  the  only  well  here  is  in 
the  fort — we  must  make  a  desperate  assault 
on  the  enemy,  or  perish ;  or,  on  the  other 
hand,  surrender  unconditionally,  for  there  is 
no  other  means  of  procuring  our  breaklast  in 
this  life.'" 

'♦ '  Well,  let  us  storm  the  fort.  Have  you 
any  ladders  ? '  " 

"  '  I  have  not,'  answered  Smith;  'but  my 
brave  sailors  will  make  them  presently  out  of 
the  debris  of  the  Valorous,  and  you  will  see 
what  they  can  do,  Steingold.'" 

"  '  I  can  do  better  than  that,'  remarked  the 
cunning  Westphaliau ;  you  shall  see,  Smith.' " 

"At  the  same  time  he  went  from  rank  to 
rank  and  gave  secret  instructions.  We  be- 
held the  German  soldiers  little  by  little  ap- 
proaching the  drawbridge.  They  must  have 
calculated  upon  rushing  headlong  across  it, 
before  we  should  have  time  to  raise  it,  break- 
ing open  with  the  butts  of  their  muskets  the 
gate  and  retaking  the  fort  by  a  surprise.  As 
they  were  just  springing  on  the  drawbridge 
Montluc,  who  seemingly  indifferent,  was  still 
all  on  the  alert,  cried  out:   '  Fire ! '  " 

"Six  pieces,  charged  to  the  muzzle  and 
levelled  at  the  same  point,  went  off  in  one 
boom.  It  was  Uke  a  heap  of  heads  and  legs 
all  round.  Thirty  or  forty  men  fell  at  once. 
The  others  took  flight  and  did  not  halt  until 
they  were  five  hundred  paces  from  the  fort, 
quite  near  the  relics  of  the  frigate  where  the 
marines,  headed  by  John  Smith,  already  pre 
ceeded  them.  This  time  the  two  commanders 
halted  to  consult,  and  this  was  their  conver- 
sation as  I  heard  it  related  since  then : 

'Major,'  said  John  Smith  to  Steingold, 
'you  are  a  brave  man.  Your  idea  would 
have  been  a  good  one  if  it  had  succeeded ; 
but '" 


"  '  What  shall  we  do?'  inquired  Steingold-, 
for  we  are  not  here  for  reproaches.'  " 

"  '  Attention!  '  repUed  Smith,  at  the  same 
time  turning  to  his  men.  '  My  lads,'  he  said, 
'  we  have  no  luck  to-day,  and  old  England 
will  not  be  pleased  with  us  when  she  learns 
we  have  allowed  the  Valorous  to  be  burned. 
But  let  us  say  no  more  about  this  mishap. 
Let  us  try  to  repair  it,  if  we  can.  Stick  up 
all  the  hatchets  and  cordage  yon  can  find 
among  the  remains  of  the  VaUrrotts  and  con- 
struct horn-ladders  as  speedily  as  you  can ; 
for  if  we  loiter  twenty-four  hours,  with  the 
cold  of  this  land  and  the  coming  snow,  himger 
will  prove  unendurable.  There  are  no  pro- 
visions except  in  the  fort.  We  must  re-take 
it  if  we  want  to  get  anything  to  eat. '  " 

"  At  this  terrible  announcement  every  one 
set  to  work.  From  the  summit  of  the  ran- 
parts  we  could  observe  these  brave  lads  dig- 
ging with  a  will,  picking  up  hatchets  here 
and  there,  pulling  in  a  heap  all  the  boards 
they  could  find,  spUtting,  sawing,  and  boring 
holes. 

" Montluc  took  me  aside  and  said:  'Kil- 
dare,  I  may  be  slain.'  And  as  I  was  exclaim- 
ing, '  Every  one  else  maybe  slain,*  he  con- 
tinued : 

"  '  In  such  event,  you  shall  assume  the 
command.  Meanwhile,  you  shall  take  charge 
of  the  Smith  side  of  our  fortress.  I  gueas 
that  Steingold,  who  is  a  devil,  will  desire  to 
attack  us  iu  the  rear,  and  that  John  Smith, 
quite  the  contrary,  will  face  us  with  his  sail- 
ors. They  will  undoubtedly  make  the  assault 
from  two  opposite  quarters,  and  I  should  like 
to  find  myself  face  to  face  with  John  Smith, 
who  is  a  brave  man  and  has  won  a  reputa- 
tion.'" 

' ' '  Then  you  leave  Steingold  to  me  because 
he  is  inferior  game  ?'  " 

"' What  would  you  have  Kildare,'  replied 
Montluc,  with  a  smile ;  '  I  am  Commander-ia- 
Chief,  and  naturally  I  chose  the  best  morsels 
for  myself.  Go,  to  I  You  shall  have  your 
turn.  Besides,  you  would  be  wrong  to  com- 
plain. Steingold  is  a  brute,  'tis  true,  but  a 
brave  brute,  or,  speaking  more  accurately, 
he  is  an  ill-bred  gentleman,  as  you  can  see.' 
He  broke  off  abnptly,  looked  at  the  enemy, 
and  lending  me  his  glass,  observed :  '  What 
did  I  predict?  Look  this  way  at  John  Smith, 
who  is  approaching  stealthily  under  cover  of 
the  snow-ridges,  but  face  front,  nevertheless, 
Uke  a  brave,  solid  English  marine,  who  has 
no  doubt  of  the  hardness  of  his  fists  and  the 
weight  of  his  hatchet.  Look  at  these  men 
carrying  along  beams,  ladders,  hammers  and 
ropes,  and  in  the  advance  rank  the  men  who 
were  hunting  the  white  bear,  and  have  not 


THE  OeiEFTAlKS  OF  CHAMPLAlK. 


69 


V'.^  -J: 


"OOMS.    B0X8,    B£   QUIOE,    OlilHB  ABBAS  I' 


eaten  a  morsel  in  five  days.  Look!  notice 
their  long,  sharp,  biting  teeth !  By  Jupiter's 
locki  they  art)  gallant  fellows!'  " 

"  And,  ai  I  pointo  I  on  ■  another  band  more 
nnmerous,  whicli  wan  making  a  detour  to  the 
left,  aul  pursuinj  thi  bye-pathfl,  creeping 
ftlonf,  no  ni  nci  t»  lio  seen — 

"  '  Thesij  follows.'  said  Montluc,  'are 
Steingold's  commaud.    They  will  approach  on 


yonr  side  of  the  fort.     Be  it  yours  to  make  it 
hot  for  them.     Go  and  command  your  post." 

"  'I  am  going  with  Lord  Kildare,  brother, 
exclaimed  Chariot." 

"  'Why?  Rtay  with  me.  Father  will  not 
bo  pleased  if  ho  learns  you  left  my 
side.' " 

'"  With  you,'— waitWy  echoed  the  boy — 
' '  there  is  no  glory  to  be  won  by  any  one  bat 


S4 


THE  OHIEFTAINS  OF  OHAMPLAIN. 


yon.  With  Lord  Kildare  there  is  a  chance  to 
have  a  share  of  fame,  at  least  1' " 

"I  did  not  take  his  freedom  in  bad  part, 
and  held  out  my  hand  to  him,  saying : 

"  '  Chariot,  I  shall  not  leave  you  any  more 
than  your  brother,  you  will  see!'  " 

"Naturally,  Buffalo  followed  his  pupil,  for 
they  were  never  asunder. 

'*  In  five  minutes  the  assault  began,  each  of 
us  being  at  our  post  and  quite  ready  to  do  our 
duty  ;  the  drum  beat  on  th$  side  the  marines 
were  advancing  with  Captain  Smith  at  their 
head,  and,  by  a  very  natural  ruse,  as  the 
snow,  which  was  fifteen  feet  where  deep 
pathways  had  been  formed,  concealed  them 
often  from  our  view,  they  took  advantage  of 
this  fact  to  beat  the  charge  on  one  side,  so  as 
to  bewilder  us  the  best  way  they  could,  while 
their  men,  drawn  up  in  good  order,  were 
moving  on  the  other.  But  Montluc  had  fore- 
seen it  What  is  there  that  he  does  not 
foresee?  Accordingly,  when  he  heard  the 
drum  beating  on  one  side,  he  looked  at  the 
other,  and  saw  all  at  once,  at  ten  feet  from 
the  moat,  thirty-five  or  forty  guns  covering 
him  at  the  same  time.  He  had  barely  time  to 
lower  himself  behind  the  bulwarks.  A  volley 
was  poured  along  the  whole  line  at  once ;  the 
bullets  whistled  over  his  head,  and  rebounded 
thirty  feet  beyond  the  fort. 

"A  prolonged  hurrah  followed  upon  this  dis- 
charge. As  he  was  seen  no  more — the  EngUsh 
believed  him  dead,  and  John  Smith  thinking 
we  were  all  in  despair  at  so  terrible  a  misfor- 
tune,  sprang  toward  the  rampart,  ciying  to 
his  men:" 

" '  Hurrah  1  my  boys,  you  have  just  made  a 
fine  hit !  Montluc  le  Rouge  is  dead  !  Hurrah ! 
Forward!  Place  the  ladders!'  " 

"Indeed,  it  seemed  as  if  there  Tas  nothing 
more  to  be  done  than  raise  the  ladders,  and 
that  no  further  resistance  would  be  encoun- 
tered. No  one  showed  himself  this  side  of 
the  fort,  and  Montluc,  ctiU  down  and  sheltered 
by  the  bulwarks,  gave  commands  by  signs." 

"On  the  English  side  you  could  hear  the 
ringing  voice  of  John  Smith  :" 

"  'Come,  boys,  be  quick,  climb  ahead! 
Don't  lose  time  reloading,  use  your  boarding- 
hatchets  and  cutlasses. ' " 

"At  this  moment  poor  Jones  solicited  the 
honor  to  lead  the  storming  party,  for  he  was 
eager  to  repair  his  fault  and  avenge  the  loss 
of  the  Vaiarotia.  Old  Smith  looked  cross  at 
him  and  said :  '  Master  Jones,  you  are  not 
worthy  of  this  honor.  No — you  are  not 
worthy  of  t;  but  I  shall  not  prevent  you 
from  getting  killed  in  the  service  of  their 
Majesties,  King  William  and  Mary,  whom 
Qod  defend  I    Go  and  do  your  best  1'  " 


"The  young  midshipman  did  not  wait  for  a 
repetition  of  the  order.  He  seized  hold  of 
the  first  ladder  (there  were  five  or  six  planted 
against  the  walls),  sprang  up  the  steps  more 
nimbly  than  a  squirrel,  and  was  the  first  to 
place  his  foot  upon  the  rampart  with  the  cry: 
'Hurrah  for  old  England!'  But  his  joy 
was  short-Uved.  Montluc,  who  was  watching 
and  waiting  for  him,  rose  up  suddenly,  seized 
him  by  the  throat  with  one  hand,  and  with 
the  other  struck  him  with  his  sword  and 
threw  him  fainting  and  almost  dying  into  the 
interior  of  the  fort." 

"At  the  same  time  he  gave  this  command  : 
'Hurl  the  ladders  into  the  moat.'  It  was 
done  on  the  spot ;  but  as  the  ladders  were 
long,  sixty  or  eighty  arms  or  thighs  were 
broken  in  the  fall,  and  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
besiegers  was  cooled." 

' '  Montluc,  who  had  caused  the  great  guns  to 
be  reloaded,  then  sent  a  heavy  fire  of 
grape-shot  into  the  sailors  of  the  Valorous. 
It  was  a  genuine  massacre  which  did  not  last 
six  seconds,  but  in  which  John  Smith  saw  a 
fifth  of  his  crew  perish." 

"Upon  witnessing  this  first  disaster,  he 
caused  a  retreat  to  be  beaten,  or  rather  he 
sheltered  his  men  behind  the  ridges  of  snow, 
formed  by  the  paths  which  furrowed  the 
plain.  In  this  asylum  of  retreat,  whither  no 
one  desired  to  follow  him,  he  execrated  the 
dehberations  of  Steingold,  who  should  have 
come  to  his  assistance,  yet  suffered  the  brave 
warriors  of  the  Valorous  to  perish,  perhaps 
that  he  might  reserve  for  himself  the  sole 
credit  of  victory." 


CHAPTER  XIL 


A  SPEEDY   VICTOBT — BABON    STEINGOLD     OOME8 
DOWN   A   LITTLE  FROM   HIS   LOFTY  STATION. 

' '  At  the  same  time,  went  on  Kildare,  or 
perhaps  five  minutes  later,  the  combat  com> 
menced  on  my  side.  Steingold,  as  Montluc 
had  predicted,  craftily  sought  to  surprise  me 
from  the  rear.  Cunning,  Uke  pII  the  people 
of  his  country,  this  good  Westphalian  be- 
lieved that  no  one  could  suspect  his  strata- 
gem. As  he  told  me  himself,  later  on,  he 
wanted  to  make  a  cork-screw  movement." 

"There  is.  Father,  a  strong  and  a  weak 
point  with  great  captains.  When  it  succeeds 
it  is  their  strong  point,  but  when  it  fails,  it  if 
their  weak  point.  Yoa  are  about  to  ascer- 
tain what  success  Steingold  had  that  day." 

' '  I  must  tell  you  in  the  first  place,  that 
Montluc's  orders  were  not  to  fire  until  the 
enemy  should  reach  the  bank  of  the  moat. 
The  reason  was  that  the  result  would  b« 
greater,  all  our  shots  being  Ukely  to  tell  at 


THE  OHIEl-'TAINS  OP  OHAMPLAIN. 


that  distance,  while  hidden  behind  the  para- 
pet, ve  should  afford  the  enemy  little  chance 
of  taking  aim  at  us." 

' '  At  twenty  feet  from  the  moat,  Major 
Steingold,  brandlBhing  his  sword,  cried  to 
his  men:  'Forward!  forward!'  and  was 
already  standing  aside  to  let  them  pass,  when 
an  accident  compelled  him  to  pause  a  mo- 
ment, and  delay  the  assault." 

"  The  fort,  on  that  side,  had  no  door  or 
window,  the  dwelling  portion  being  closed 
from  within,  and  without  communication 
with  the  ramparts.  Accordingly,  he  must 
either  make  a  breach  with  his  artillery  (an 
impossibility,  for  Steingold  had  no  cannon), 
or  attempt  the  assault  with  ladders." 

' '  But  why  should  I  protract  the  narrative 
of  the  battle,  Father  ?  You  may  well  dis- 
trust it,  seeing  Moutluc  and  myself  in  such 
good  health  and  with  such  hearty  appetites 
in  your  presbytery.  In  two  words,  I  may 
say  that  we  suffered  six  assaults  the  same 
day;  that  old  John  Smith  was  slain  upon  the 
rampart  by  Montluc  himself,  after  having 
wounded  him  with  a  poniard;  that  Steingold 
was  neither  slain  nor  wounded,  but  repulsed 
with  his  men,  for  we  returned  cannon  balls 
and  grape  shot  for  their  bullets,  and  that 
seeing  their  ammunition  exhausted,  night 
approaching  and  hunger  preying  on  their 
vitals,  they  finished  by  capitulation." 

"It  is  here  you  will  appreciate  the  pro- 
found wisdom  of  my  friend  Montluc.  When 
the  envoy  of  the  Major  presented  himself, 
for  Steingold,  by  Captain  Smith's  death, 
had  become  chief  of  the  two  forces,  Montluc 
would  grant  no  other  condition  than  this  one: 
'  That  the  English  and  Oermaus  should  have 
their  lives  spared.'" 

"  Steingold  swore  and  blasphemed  accord- 
ing to  his  wont.  (We  could  hear  him  from 
the  fort. )  Then  night  came  as  bright  as  it 
ordinarially  is  in  Polar  regions,  but  bitterly 
cold  and  fraught  with  the  saddest  reflections. " 

"  The  soldiers,  having  left  the  fort  with- 
out knapsacks,  for  they  thought  in  the  morn- 
ing of  only  going  on  parade,  were  shivering 
in  their  red  coats.  Mustered  with  the 
marines,  they  built  with  great  difficulty,  a 
wooden  barrack,  out  of  the  wreck  of  the 
Valorous;  but  as  the  barrack  was  only  three 
himdred  feet  from  the  fort,  Montluc  waited 
until  the  fire  was  lighted,  and  the  soldiers 
and  sailors  seated  or  stretched  all  around, 
half-frozen,  hungry,  overcome  by  the  mis- 
fortunes of  the  day,  and  disheartened  at 
those  which  they  foresaw  for  the  morrow. 
.  ,  .  When  he  was  sure  they  wanted 
nothing  more,  officers  and  soldiers,  than  a 
little  rest,  he  caused  the  artillery  of  the  fort 


to  play  on  the  barrack.  The  first  discharge 
swept  away  the  frail  shelter,  killed  four  or 
five  men,  extinguished  the  fire,  scattered  the 
firebrands,  and  put  the  whole  party  to  flight." 

"  As  I  was  reproaching  him  for  his  severity, 
for,  indeed,  these  unfortunate  fellows  were 
no  longer  to  be  feared,  they  asked  only  to 
sleep,  he  observed:  '  Kildare,  my  dear  friend, 
I  applaud  your  generosity;  it  is  good  to  be 
generous  when  one  is  brave;  I  would  be  gen- 
erous if  I  had  time  for  it.' " 

"  'Howl'  what  do  you  mean?  'if  you  had 
time  for  it.'" 

' '  I  mean  what  I  say.  .  .  .  My  father, 
when  I  was  setting  out  from  here,  imparted 
to  me  secrets  I  must  keep  to  myself.  But  know 
this,  that  the  safety  of  Canada  depends  on  a 
delay  or  a  start  of  twenty-four  hours.  If  we 
had  not  surprised  the  fort  or  taken  it  three 
days  later,  twenty  savage  tribes  with  whom 
we  have  treaties  of  aUiance,  would  have  gone 
over  to  the  English,  believing  us  ruined. 
We  get  nothing  from  France — neither  re- 
inforcements, ammunition,  money.  We  can 
only  hold  out  by  the  force  ot  audacity.  My 
father  makes  war  on  the  EngUsh  at  his  own 
expense.  He  sends  the  Canadian  Governor, 
Frontenac,  money  which  the  king  will  never 
repay.  He  knows  it,  laughs  at  it,  and  says  he 
likes  it  better  that  the  King  of  France  should 
be  under  an  obligation  to  him,  than  that  he 
should  be  beholden  to  the  King  of  France. 
There's  the  situation,  my  dear  Kildare.  Stein- 
gold must  surrender  before  the  night  closes, 
with  all  his  men,  so  that  I  may  be  able  to  set 
out  at  ten  o'clock  to-morrow  morning  for 
Montluc  Tower.  My  father  is  impatiently 
awaiting  my  return  to  take  command  of  the 
Algonquin  warriors,  the  Hurons,  and  all  our 
western  Canadians,  who  obey  only  him.  In 
his  absence,  I  watch  Montluo  Tower.  If  the 
tower  was  without  a  protector  a  single  instant 
my  mother,  sister  and  Lucy  would  run  very 
serious  dangers.  Understand  now,  Gerald, 
why  I  cannot  be  generous  to-day.  My  gen- 
erosity, my  good  Kildare,  might  cost  the 
Uves  of  all  I  love  in  this  world." 

"  I  agreed  that  he  was  right  and  that  it  was 
better  to  shoot  the  enemy  than  suffer  the 
death  of  his  father,  mother  or  sister.  As  I 
made  this  avowal,  we  heard  a  single  blast  of 
the  trumpet.  It  was  Steingold's  envoy  come 
to  open  parley." 

"  Tlie  poor  fellow  was  frost-bitten,  his  eyes 
moist ,  he  was  shivering  in  Ins  overcoat,  and 
his  teeth  were  chattering.  He  was  perishing 
of  cold  and  hunger.  Montluc  himself  took 
pity  on  him  and  gave  him  a  glass  of  whiskey. 
The  unfortunate  man  thanked  him  and  ap- 
peared revived." 


«6 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  OHAMPLAIN. 


THE   ENVOY. 


"  'Speak  now,'  said  Montluc." 

"'My  Lord,'  Raid  the  envoy,  'I  have  a 
scheme  of  treaty  which  Major  Steiogold  com- 
mission  me  to  propose  to  you.'  " 

"Let  us  see." 

"These  are  Lord  Steingold's  conditions: 

"First    .     .     .     ." 

"  '  You  need  not  go  further,'  saidMontluo ; 
'  does  he  surrender  at  discretion,  the  only 
ooodition  being  to  spare  life  ?' " 


"Not    quite He    would    de- 

sire    .     .     .     ." 

' '  Tell  him  then,  I  shall  make  no  other  con- 
ditions, and  you  may  depart." 

"But  the  ambassador  did  not  budge.  He 
drew  from  his  pockets  full  powers  and  a 
blank  signed  by  Steingold." 

"Montluc  burst  out  laughing,  and  said  to 
him :  '  My  pc  or  comrade,  you  do  well  to  come 
to  a  dooieion  at  once ;  for  upon  my  sool,  yon 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  CHAMPLATN 


57 


wonld  hare  to  negotuite  for  thirty  years,  be- 
fore obtaining  from  me  anything  other  than 

your  lives Writer" 

' '  He  dictated  and  the  envoy  wrote  and 
filled  in  the  blank  under  his  dictation. " 

"  'Now,'  added  Montluc,  after  having 
signed,   '  you  want  supper,  don't  you  ?' " 

"  'Oh,  yes,'  exclaimed  the  envoy;  'with- 
out that  do  ;fou  suppose — '  " 

' ' '  You  would  have  surrendered  your  arms  ? 

No,  I  do  not  believe  you  would 

Also,  I  thank  God,  the  Blessed  Virgin  and 
Saint  Louis,  my  patron,  for  the  protection 
they  have  accorded  us.  .  .  .  You,  my 
friend,  go  to  Steingold ;  tell  him  to  withdraw 
his  own  men  and  the  marines  of  the  Valorous 
a  distance  of  three  hundred  feet,  without 
arms.  I  am  about  to  send  food  and  clothing 
for  your  men,  who  must  be  in  sore  need  of 
them.     Go!'" 

"'Ah,  Lord  Montluc,'  cried  the  envoy, 
'you  B;ive  our  lives,  for  we  are  famishing  of 
hunger  and  cold.' " 

' '  Then,  without  delay,  the  German  regi- 
ment and  the  crew  of  the  Valorous  having 
laid  aside  their  arms,  and  retired  far  enough, 
Montluc  directed  the  guns,  pistols  and  swords 
to  be  taken  to  the  fort,  and  five  barrels  of 
salt  seal,  salt  pork,  salt  beef,  more  than  two 
thousand  pounds  of  biscuit  and  five  casks  of 
beer  to  be  distributed  among  the  men ;  but 
he  rfuseed  to  give  whiskey.  'Whiskey,' he 
remarked,  'would  turn  the  heads  of  these 
poor  fellows  and  stimulate  them  perhaps  to 
try  a  new  assault,  which  would  be  dangerous, 
although  they  no  longer  have  guns ;  we 
should  be  obliged  to  kill  a  himdred  of  them 
before  making  the  others  listen  to  reason,  for 
number  and  despair  can  make  up  for  all.  Be- 
sides, I  have  no  time  to  write.  'And  now,'  he 
added,  '  the  commissioned  officers  are  about 
to  repair  to  the  fort  and  become  hostages.  In 
the  event  of  any  soldier  or  non-commissioned 
officer  disobeying  my  orders,  I  shall  have  him 
hanged  without  quarter,  and  if  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  hang  him,  I  shall  have  an  officer 
hanged  in  his  place.' " 

'"I  sought  to  soften  down  these  condi- 
tions," but  he  replied :  " 

"My  friend  Kildare's  generosity  is  out  of 
place  in  this  matter.  My  prisoners  are  ten 
times  more  numerous  than  my  men.  If  I  did 
not  use  a  rod  of  iron,  they  would  strangle  us. 
I  don't  desire  to  do  them  any  harm,  but  be- 
tween their  life  and  that  of  my  brave  Canadi- 
ans, I  shall  not  hesitate ;  my  choice  is  made. 
Go  to  rest.  To-morrow  morning,  at  ten 
o'clock  we  shall  leave  this.* " 

*'  •  And  you — will  you  not  retire,  too  ? '  " 

" '  Yet^  whan  you  shall  arise  at  five,  to  take 


my  place.  As  for  the  rest,  I  am  at  ease ; 
Old  Buffalo,  who  never  sleeps  but  with  one 
eye  open  and  can  hear  the  deer  frisking  about 
at  thirty  leagues  away,  is  on  the  watch  for  a:I 
of  us.'" 

' '  Thus  we  passed  the  night,  friends  and 
enemies.  Our  men  were  lying  down,  but 
with  their  hands  on  their  arms  and  sleeping, 
except  four  sentinels  posted  at  the  four  cor- 
ners of  the  fort.  The  English  and  the  Ger- 
mans, less  comfortable,  biit  satisfied  at  hav- 
ing supped  (for  they  were  afraid  they  should 
never  sup  again),  were  sleeping,  also,  under 
a  sort  of  barrack  constructed  from  the  Valor- 
ous, and  lying  close  to  one  another  in  five 
thick  rows  around  the  fire." 

"Luckily  a  heavy  snow  fell  all  night  and 
prevented  the  north  wind  from  attacking 
them — which  would  have  frozen  them  alive. 
The  barrack  was  without  partition  or  wall, 
but  its  roof,  rather  deftly  constructed  by  the 
carpenter,  and  the  sail  of  the  Valorous,  pre- 
served them  from  the  snow." 

"It  was  a  terrible  night,  and  dragged  along 
slowly,  Uke  all  nights  ia  the  vicinity  of  the 
pole,  where  the  sunlight  even  reflected  by 
the  sun,  is  scarcely  brighter  than  that  of  a 
dark  lantern.  Conquerors  and  conquered, 
we  were  all  very  ill  at  ease,  except  two,  Mont- 
luc and  Buffalo.  They  had,  no  doubt,  been 
made  of  peculiar  metal  by  the  Almighty  and 
cast  into  a  mould  different  from  ordinary 
Christians." 

' '  About  five  o'clock,  as  I  was  fast  asleep, 
stretched  near  the  fire-place  beside  the  oth- 
ers, I  was  awakened  by  Montluc,  who  lightly 
touched  my  anu  and  notified  me  to  take  his 
place  in  a  sort  of  sentry-box,  placed  on  the 
rampart,  from  which  you  could  command  the 
whole  plain.  For  recreation,  I  had  the  right, 
wrapped  in  thick  furs,  to  march  double-quick 
as  if  charging  an  invisible  enemy  with  the 
bayonet.  From  time  to  time  I  rubbed  my 
nose  with  snow  for  fear  of  getting  frost- 
bitten." 

"  '  Ah  !  '  assuredly  I  was  glad  to  have  taken 
or  assisted  to  take  Fort  Hudson,  which,  I 
dare  say,  is  an  achievement  by  the  side  of 
which  those  of  Alexander  and  Caesar  would 
pale,  but  I  could  not  help  thinking  of  my  old 
Fitzgerald  in  the  beautiful  county  of  Kildare, 
where  an  entire  oak  is  tnrown  on  the  hearth 
to  make  a  fire,  and  from  the  window  of  which 
the  greenest  and  most  fertile  meadows  in  the 
whole  world  are  seen.  But  I  had  no  choice." 
"Moreover,  God,  who  leads  us  whither  He 
lists,  and  by  the  paths  that  please  Him  best, 
had  doubtless  resolved  to  conduct  me  to  hap- 
piness by  this ;  bo  that  the  snow,  the  frost 
the  gunshots  and  the  forced  marohfO  wore 


£8 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  OHAMFLAIK. 


'ah,    I   SHAXiIi    WEVEB    FOK  GET   THAT    AWFUL    SCENE !" 


only  unusual  means  to  give  mo  this  knowledge 
of  paradise  upon  earth.     You  shall  see  how. " 

"About  nine  in  the  morning,  Montluc 
arose,  had  the  drum  beat,  and  our  men  stand 
under  anus.  He  then  said:  'We  are  now 
about  to  divide  the  booty,'" 

"  At  these  words  the  eyes  of  our  Canadians, 
Algonquin's  or  French  sparkled  with  pleasure. 
It  is  quite  natural,  for  the   King  of  France, 


for  vhom  we  were  fighting,  had  rarely  given 
any  pay,  and  yet  one  must  live ;  is  not  that 
true  ?" 

"  'Certainly,'  I  answered  ;  "but  in  a  coun- 
try so  wild  and  savage,  where  only  ico  can  be 
seen,  of  what  could  the  booty  consist  ?'  " 

"  'The  Hudson-Bay  Fort  was  filled  with 
merchandise  of  great  value,  beaver  and  other 
skins,  the  finest   and  most  valuable  in  two 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  GHAMPLAIK. 


h«mi«pherea.  Oar  GanAdiana  are  savageH, 
bat  they  are  not  dolts  ;  they  knew  well  what 
they  were  doing  in  marching  with  Montlnc  to 
the  conquest  of  the  fort.  In  victuals,  auiniu- 
iiition,  guns,  every  kind  of  arms,  skins  and 
hides,  gold  and  silver  coin,  brandy,  whiskey 
and  other  commodities,  there  were  about  eight 
or  ten  millions  of  French  livres'  worth.  The 
single  item  of  silver  coin  was  quarter  of  this 
sum,  for  the  store  houses  in  the  fort  served  as 
warehouse  and  treasury ;  or,  if  you  prefer,  as 
bank  for  the  great  English  Company  trading 
with  all  the  savages,  when  certain  it  is  to  be 
paid  cash  down  in  advance.  The  great  diffi- 
culty was  to  transport  this  precious  booty. 
To  burthen  ourselves  with  it  was  to  place 
ourselves  at  the  mercy  of  our  prisoners,  who, 
their  hands  once  free,  would  not  have  faUed 
to  fall  upon  us.  To  abandon  or  bum  it  was 
very  hard,  for  our  Algonquin  braves  and  Caua- 
dian  hunters  had  no  other  reward  for  their 
bravery. " 

"Montluc  reflected.  At  last  a  sudden 
thought  flashed  across  his  mind,  and  he  sum- 
moned Baron,  or  Major  Steingold,  and  Mid- 
shipman Jones,  the  only  officers  of  the  Valar- 
mcs  who  had  sui'vi  ved  the  last  evening's  assault. " 

"'Major,'  said  Montluc,  "I  desire  to 
make  a  proposition. ' " 

"'Ah!  ah!'  said  the  Westphalian,  who 
thought  he  wanted  him  and  wished  to  show 
his  worth,  'let  us  hear  that  proposition.  Baron 
Montluc.'" 

"  'Will  you  enter  my  service?' said  Montluc." 

"  The  other  was  so  astonished  that  he  did 
not  believe  his  ears,  though  they  were  natur- 
ally large  enough,  and  shaped  like  window 
shutters." 

"  '  My  lord,  I  cannot  have  properly  under- 
stood you,  I  have  no  doubt  ?  It  is  impossi- 
ble that ' " 

"  '  On  the  conti-ary.  Major  Steingold,  it  is 
BO  possible  that  it  is  true.  I  propose  to  you 
to  enter  my  service. '  " 

"  '  Oh  !'  cried  Steingold,  indignantly,  "the 
service  of  the  King  of  France,  do  you  mean  ?' " 

"  '  No,  no,  into  my  service,  the  service  of 
Montuc  leKouge,  here  present.'  " 

"'But  the  truth,'  implored  Steingold, 
'  what  do  you  understand  by  entering  your 
service.  Baron?'" 

"' Nothing' more  simple  and  easy.  Major. 
You  will  personally  black  my  shoes  every 
morning  at  sunrise,  light  the  fire,  make  the 
soup,  brush  my  clothes,  my  hat,  my  bearskin, 
and  you  shall  be  polite,  devoted  and  respect- 
ful, like  a  good  servant. ' " 

"  'Then,'  exclaimed  Steingold,  '  you  intend 
thp.tmy  soldiers  and  myself  are  to  e  your 
domestics?'  ' 


"  'Yes,  if  you  desire  to  eat  an^  drink.'" 

"  'Never!'  said  Steingold. " 

"  '  As  you  please.  Major. ' " 

' '  The  Westphalian  was  about  to  leave  the^ 
fort  when  Montluc  re-called  him.  '  I  forgot 
to  tell  you  two  things:  One,  that  your  sol- 
diers and  yourself  will  carry  our  booty  on 
your  backs;  the  other,  that  you  will  receive 
wages  for  your  work.' " 

"  'Wages  for  me.  Von  Steingold  of  West- 
phalia!'" 

"  '  Do  you  prefer  not  ?'  asked  Montluc, 
with  his  customary  serenity.  '  At  your  pleas- 
ure, Major.'" 

"'Never!  never!  better  die  of  hunger!' 
said  Steingold." 

"He  was  crossing  the  drawbridge;  but 
after  reflection,  he  turned  back  to  the  fort, 
and  demanded:  '  What  are  those  wages. 
Monsieur  le  Baron  ?'  " 

"'I  shall  give  you,'  said  Montluc,  'half 
what  you  carry  on  your  backs,  plunder, 
victuals  and  provisions.' " 

' '  To  this  answer  Steingold  did  not  maka 
any  rejoinder,  except  by  closing  the  door 
with  a  savage  air,  and  rejoining  his  men." 

' '  Montluc  looked  at  his  watch  and  said: 
'  It  ten  o'clock,  Steingold  is  a  punctual 
man  and  very  methodical,  he  dines  at  twelve 
every  day.  Mind  me,  Kildare,  he  will  come 
here  about  a  quarter  to  twelve. ' " 

' '  He  was  mistaken  by  a  good  quarter  of  an 
hour,  for  Steingold  arrived,  as  will  be  seen, 
pimctually,  when  it  was  only  twenty-five 
minutes  past  eleven." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


WHICH  DESCKIBES  HOW  THE  LITTLE  BAND  OF 
HEROES  EETtlRNED  TO  MONTLUC  TOWEE.— 
8TBANOE  TIDINGS  AND  A  BTBANGE  MESSENOBB. 

Lord  Kildare  having  paused  a  moment  to 
empty  a  bumper  of  my  old  wine,  went  on 
with  his  story : 

"'As  soon,'  he  continued,  'as  Steingold 
had  left,  Montluc  turned  to  the  young  mid- 
shipman and  said :' " 

"'Your  turn  now,  sir.'  'You  are  the 
commanding  officer  of  the   Valor<ms  f  " 

"  'Y^es,  sir,'  replied  Jones  mournfully. 
'AH  my  superior  officers  were  killed  in  the 
assault.  I  am  the  only  officer  now.  Ah,  I 
shall  never  forget  that  awful  scene,  when  I 
saw  the  frigate  blown  up  through  my  care- 
lessness !'  " 

"  'Fortune  is  fickle,'  said  Montluc.  'You 
are  young ;  the  next  time  you  will  have  your 
revenge.  Meanwhile  you  must  imitate  Stein, 
gold  and  help  to  transport  my  booty  home.'  " 

"Never  I"  said  Jones 


60 


THE  CHIEPTAmS  OP  CHAMPLAIN. 


"Yon  too!"  .  .  .  Well,  as  you  ploaHO  ! 
T  shall  force  no  one.  Liberty,  Ubertas  / 
But  if  you  die  of  hunger,  it  will  be  your  owu 
fault.  However,  observe  this,  Jones,  1  am 
offering  you  more  honorable  terms  than  to  the 
insolent  Steingold.  You  should  not  have  to 
black  my  boots,  you  .  ,  .  V/ell,  it  is 
true  that  you  did  not  threaten  to  hang  me." 

"  'My  Lord,'  said  Jones,  'my  comrades, 
the  gallant  marines  of  the  VaUyrmii  and  your 
humble  servant  are  not  beasts  of  burden.  .  . 
We  prefer  to  remain  alone  and  without  re- 
sources in  this  frozen  desert  than  submit  to 
your  dishonorable  conditions.'  " 

"  'You  are  right,  Jones,'  said  Montluc 
after  a  moments  thought,  '  you  speak  like  a 
man  of  honor ;  but  you  quite  embarrass  me. 
To  leave  you  here  is  out  of  all  question ;  it 
would  be  to  bury  you  alfve,  for  I  propose  to 
blow  up  the  fort  and  burn  up  everything  I 
ehall  not  take  away.  To  give  you  provisions 
would  be  to  furnish  you  the  means  to  rebuild 
the  fort,  and  that  would  make  my  expedition 
useless.  ...  By  my  faith  1  I  will  set 
you  free  ;  I  shall  give  you  three  hatchets  to 
cut  wood  for  a  fire,  and  the  bear,  elk  and 
coyote  for  your  subsistence.  After  that,  let 
God  take  care  of  you.  I  wish  you  no  harm, 
but  you  are  really  too  headstrong.'  " 

"The  young  midshipman  thanked  him 
cordially,  received  two  days'  rations  for  him- 
self and  his  men,  about  seventy,  all  told,  and 
set  out  in  the  direction  of  Lake  Superior,  for 
the  illimitable  West.  The  marines  of  the 
Valorous,  having  been  supplied  with  only 
two  days'  provisions,  probably  perished  of 
hunger  and  cold  before  the  end  of  the  week. 
Anyhow,  Montluc  heard  no  more  about  them. 
As  to  Steingold's  bold  Germans,  they  did  not 
need  pressing.  They  carried  on  their  shoul- 
ders goods  and  commodities  of  all  kinds,  gold 
and  whiskey  being  reserved  for  the  Canadians 
and  Algonquins,  and  slowly  bent  their  labor- 
ious march  to  Montluc  Tower  and  Lake  Erie." 

"But  before  leaving  we  blew  up  the  fort 
with  all  it  contained  and  whatever  we  could 
not  take  with  us ;  all  the  artillery  was  buried 
in  Hudson  Bay  in  a  spot  over  three  thousand 
feet  deep;  indeed,  Montluc  had  taken  all 
possible  precautions  to  obliterate  every  trace 
or  mark  of  cinders  or  unsightly  debris,  so 
that  the  English  could  never  ascertain  the  site 
of  their  ancient  strong-hold." 

"  And  now,  father,  I  approach  the  sweetest 
and  solemnest  period  of  my  life.  But  let  me 
tell  you  in  the  first  place  why  I  am  detailing 
to  you  our  history  and  adventures,  as  if  you 
were  a  friend  of  a  hundred  years,  and  our 
eonfessor." 

"  Last  night  before  going  to  bed  we  talked 


a  good  deal  about  you,  and  formed  certain 
plans  in  your  regard." 

"What  plans?" 

"  You  will  learn  presently.  You  please  us. 
you  suit  us  ;  your  hospitable  ways  have  won 
over  and  charmed  us ;  in  a  word,  you  are  just 
the  man  wo  need,  and  it  is  God  Himself,  I 
feel  sure  of  it,  who  has  placed  you  in  our 
path." 

"But  to  return  to  our  expedition.  We 
were  pretty  near  Lake  Ontario — about  a  days' 
journey— when,  to  my  great  astonishment, 
we  received  strange  news  from  Montluc  Tow- 
er,  and  by  a  messenger  no  less  strange. 
Fancy  who  was  the  messenger." 

"  Doubtless  a  savage." 

"  A  savage  !  Not  at  all.  A  being,  the  gen- 
tlest, bravest  and  boldest  that  ever  consorted 
with  earthly  mortals.  One  of  those  who, 
though  they  walk  on  four  feet,  are  still  our 
devoted  friends.  .  .  ,  Come  here,  Phcebus, 
come,  you  understand  the  Cure'  of  Gimel 
who  calls  you  a  savage.  He  is  wrong,  and 
will  confess  it  presently.  But  you  must  not 
harbor  any  ill-feeling  toward  him.  When  he 
knows  you  better,  he  will  love  you  just  as  we 
do,     .     .     .     You  understand  me,  PhLbbus." 

"  The  great  Newfoundland,  big  and  strong 
as  a  lion,  supple  as  a  deer,  graceful  as  a  cat, 
stood  upon  his  hind  feet,  his  fore-paws  upon 
Lord  KUdare's  shoulders,  looked  him  earnest- 
ly and  tenderly  in  the  face,  as  a  friend  looks 
upon  his  friend,  and  at  a  sign  of  my  Lord's 
came  over  to  my  side  and  began  to  fawn 
upon  me.     I  warmly  patted  him  in  return." 

Lord  Kildare  continued  his  story  : 

"  One  moniing,  then,  while  our  little  band 
was  slowly  wending  its  way  through  an  open 
space  in  the  woods  and  fully  taken  up  es- 
corting our  prisoners  who  were  bending  un- 
der the  weight  of  the  luggage,  I  was  in  the 
van,  between  old  Buffalo  who  was  our  guide 
through  the  forest,  and  young  Chariot,  Mout- 
luc's  brother,  who,  true  to  his  wandering  in- 
stincts, would  now  keep  a  hundred  paces 
ahead  of  all  the  others  and  then  drop  back 
into  our  lines,  when  Buffalo  stopped  short  as 
if  he  heard  something,  and  said  '  Phoe- 
bus!'" 

"  Chariot  listened,  yet  heard  nothing. 
Buffalo  repeated :  '  Phoebus,'  a  league  away 
— he  has  recognized  us — and  is  lurking  and 
approaching  at  full  speed." 

"Four  or  five  minutes  afterward  Chariot 
heard  the  barking  and  ran  forward  to  meet  the 
dog,  who  was  shooting  through  the  air  like  an 
arrow,  having  just  recognized  his  friend." 

"No  words  can  describe  the  mutual  joy 
of  Phoebus  and  Chariot.  Phosbus  kept  bark- 
ing, Obarlot  oiying  and  laaghing.     The  boy 


THE  CHIEPTAIN8  OP  CHAMPLAIK 


threv  hiH  arms  round  the  dog's  neck;  the 
dog  with  his  paws  returned  the  em- 
brace." 

"  This  lasted  some  time,  during  which  we 
wexe  glad  to  enjoy  a  bttle  rest,  quite  tired  aH 
we  all  were.  Montluc,  who  was  in  the  rear 
forcing  in  the  laggards,  ran  up  to  the  head  of 
the  column  and  saw  Phoibus." 

"The  good  dog  sprang  to  his  neck,  then 
sat  down  gravely  on  his  haunches,  and  with 
his  right  fore-paw  rubbed  his  spiked  collar, 
to  indicate  that  something  was  troubling  him 
there." 

"Moutluc  took  it  off  and  found  a  note 
inside,  then  re-fastened  it,  and  Phoebus,  satis- 
fied at  having  discharged  his  commission, 
looked  up  at  his  master  with  an  attentive  air, 
like  an  aide-de-camp  who  has  fulfilled  an  im- 
portant mission,  and  is  awaiting  the  answer 
of  his  general." 

"Moutluo  read  the  note,  summoned  old 
Buffalo,  and  said  to  us :" 

"  '  These  are  my  father's  orders  :'  " 
"  ' MoNTLUO  TowEB,  15th  Oct.,  1G96.'" 

"  'Startling  news!'" 

"  '  Six  thousand  English  troops  on  foot. 
Fort  Richelieu  taken;  Montreal  threatened. 
The  Saint  Lawrence  blocked  up  with  ice. 
No  hope  of  assistance  from  France.  Quebec 
unprovisioned.  Farms  everywhere  ravaged 
and  fired.  Lord  Frontenac  entreats  me  to 
join  him. ' " 

"  'Victorious  or  not,  come  to  the  fork  of 
the  Eiver  Renard,  upon  Lake  Ontario.  If 
you  have  prisoners,  leave  them  in  charge  of 
Lord  Kildare.  I  shall  await  you  five  days. 
I  shall  be  alone  with  two  of  our  Canadians, 
the  two  Currizaray  brothers.  I  have  left 
their  father,  with  his  three  other  sons,  at  Fort 
Montluc,  to  protect  your  mother,  sister,  and 
Lucy  from  any  sudden  attack,  t  and  also 
thirty  men  as  a  garrison.  As  for  me,  I  can 
travel  alone.  From  the  great  lakes  to  Quebec 
there  is  not  a  man  bold  enough  to  put  finger 
upon  me.  HANNiBAii  of  Montluc.  '  " 

"'P.  S.— No  definite  tidings  about  the 
Iroquois.  There's  a  report  that  they  have 
again  joined  the  English,  and  are  all  marching 
to:'ether  on  Quebec.  But  Father  Fleury  has 
confidence  in  them,  and  I  have  confidence  in 
Father  Fleury.  Yet,  if  any  calamity  should 
strike  our  house,  my  son,  you  must  watch 
over  it.  I  send  you  this  note  by  Phoebus,  the 
swiftest  and  truest  of  aides-de-camp.  He  will 
suffer  death  in  any  business  if  necessary,  and 
should  he  be  taken  captive,  he  will  revea 
nothing,  for  he  is  no  prattler.  Your  mother 
sends  a  thousand  kisses  to  Chariot,  and  two 
thousand  to  you.      Chariot  has  lost  a  third  of 


his  caresses,  for  he  set  out  in  ipitA  o*'  her 
entreaties.  For  myself,  I  can  only  My  I  love 
you  both.  As  to  Lucy  and  Athenaia,  not 
knowing  of  the  departure  of  Phoebus  and 
myself,  who  propose  to  travel  by  night  so 
that  our  journey  may  be  ascertained  only  the 
last  moment  in  the  enemy's  country,  they 
have  not  written,  but  they  hold  on  to  their 
vigilB,  bravely  offering  up  morning  and  night 
ardent  prayers  and  novenas  for  the  happy 
return  of  yourself  and  your  comrades.'  " 

"Montluc  tore  up  the  letter,  then  he 
turned  to  Phoebus,  and  said  to  him  :  '  Tis  well 
done,  my  friend  I  will  carry  the  answer 
myself.  Go  to  your  dinner  meanwhile.' 
And  indeed  poor  Phoebus  wanted  it.  He 
hud  made  a  hundred  leagues  on  foot,  which 
is  as  trying  for  dogs  as  men,  and  even  more 
so,  for  they  use  the  sole  of  the  foot,  while 
men  use  the  sole  of  leather.  On  his  journey 
he  devoured  a  fox  and  a  coyote,  or  at  least 
Buffalo,  who  is  a  learned  adept  in  these  mat- 
ters, thought  ho  saw  the  traces  of  such  a  ban- 
quet  round  the  dog's  mouth.  But,  as  Chariot 
correctly  remarked,  Phoebus  carried  no  napkin 
about  his  neck  like  tlie  crier.  Monsieur  Dubois' 
dog — ready  for  a  fashionable  city  dinner — so 
he  seldom  wiped  his  mouth  after  meals.  Yon 
will  excuse  him  when  you  consider  he  is 
only  a  quadruped,  bom  in  Newfoundland— an 
island  where  you  find  only  uneducated  seals 
— and  that  he  had  never  seen  the  Court." 

"Phoebus  having  taken  advantage  of  the 
permission  to  dine  plentifully— for  Chariot 
cared  for  him  like  a  brother — Montluc  said  to 
Buffalo,  who  was  his  confidential  adviser,  the 
uudaimted  Pied  de  Cerf  who  commanded  the 
Algoncjuins,  and  swore  only  by  him,  and  to 
me,  his  designated  successor— '  My  friends, 
you  must  travel  faster,  and  accompany  me  as 
far  as  the  fork  of  Eiver  Renard.  My  father 
will  give  us  his  orders.  I  can  gather  from 
the  tone  of  his  letter  that  a  terrible  danger 
hangs  over  the  whole  colony.  Otlierwise 
nothing  could  have  caused  him  to  quit  my 
mother  and  sister,  who  are  themselves  in  the 
centre  of  enemies.' " 

"Then,  collecting  his  prisoners,  he  spoke 
in  a  loud  voice :  '  We  must  move  forward  at 
a  sharp  trot,  and  cover  two  leagues  an 
hour.'" 

"Most  of  them  cried  out  as  they  were  fall- 
ing from  fatigue. " 

"  Montluc  resumed,  without  a  trace  of  feel- 
ing: 'I  promised  you  life,  but  I  did  not 
promise  to  sustain  it.  Whoever  stops  here 
will  be  left  without  food  or  arms.  These 
forests  are  full  of  famished  wolves,  whose 
barks  you  hear,  and  who  follow  in  our  fcot- 
steps,'" 


B2 


THE  CHIEFTAINS   OP  CHAMPLAIN. 


"  Then,  and  at  a  atrotoh — oaoh  ono  having; 
oatfln  heartily — we  roHumed  our  journey  to 
Lake  Ontario,  making  two  loaguoH  au 
hour." 

"  The  wretched  Oenuan  priHonern  bent 
under  thoir  weighty  burdouH ;  they  puflfod 
away  like  Hea-poq)oiHOH,  grow  rod  in  the  face, 
and,  doHpite  the  bitter  weather,  were  bathed 
in  Hweat.  Ah  to  our  CanadianH  and  the  bravo 
AlgouqiiinH,  our  allieH,  you  would  have  Haid  if 
you  saw  them  running  over  the  frozen  kuuw, 
that  they  were  not  men  half  frozen,  but  fluh 
Hwiuimiug  in  water,  ho  inured  were  they  to 
forced  marches  and  this  rude  climate." 

"At  ten  at  night  wo  arrived  at  the  fork  of 
the  river  lleuard,  whore  the  old  Baron  Mont- 
luc  had  lixed  the  meeting.  FhcBbus,  with 
Chariot  and  Buffalo,  had  gone  ahead  of  us— 
throe  friends  who  were  Boldom  asunder — luad 
Hoemed  to  have  the  same  taste  for  adventure 
and  distant  journeys." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

MAJOU    BTEINOOLD     LOSES     HIS     CAUSE — FATHEU 
FliEUKY    AND   THE    IBOQUOIS. 

"  We  were  quite  surprisod  on  our  arrival," 
resumed  Lord  Kildare.  ' '  Instead  of  finding 
the  Baron  Hamiibal  all  alone  with  two  luou, 
as  he  had  written,  wo  beheld  au  oucampinont 
of  sjivages  aud  numberless  fires.  I  was 
somewhat  disgusted  at  the  sight,  but  Montluc 
removed  luy  appreheusions." 

"  Pied-de-Corf .  our  friend,  the  Algouqniu, 
blew  the  hunter's  hom.  The  camp  rang  out 
a  response  at  once. " 

"'These  are  our  friends,  the  Algonquius,' 
said  Montluc.  '  But  who  could  have  brought 
them  thither.  My  father  wished  to  come 
alone.'" 

"Just  then  the  old  Baron,  who  was  await- 
ing us  on  the  border  of  the  lake  observed  our 
arrival  aud  took  a  few  steps  forward  to  wel- 
come us." 

"After  the  first  embraces,  Montluc  le 
Bouge  said :  '  Father,  I  have  made  you 
wait.'" 

"  '  Five  days  only,'  answered  the  old  Barou, 
'  and  I  was  afraid  it  would  be  umch  longer ; 
but,  as  you  see,  I  have  not  wasted  any  time. 
I  notified  our  frieuds,  the  Algonquius,  that  I 
needed  their  services.  They  came  at  once, 
aud  there  they  are.  .  .  .  Lord  Kildare,  I 
am  glad  to  see  you  again.  Chariot  has  told 
me,  you  behaved  very  well  in  the  affair  of 
Fort  Hudson.  I  expected  nothing  less  from 
you,  and  the  blood  of  the  Fitzgerald's  whih 
flows  in  your  veins.'  " 

"  This  compliment  afforded  me  much 
pleasure,  but  I  had  no  time  to  reply,   icv 


without  a  moment's  delay,  he  demanded  on 
account  of  the  whole  expedition.  He  aji- 
proved  the  entire  proceeding,  taking  exce])- 
tions,  however,  to  Home  details,  and  in  ])ar- 
ticular  the  im]inideuce  of  his  hou  in  entrust- 
ing the  burning  of  the  VnUrroun  to  Chariot 
aud  Buffalo.  .  .  .  Montluc  modestly  ex- 
cused himsolf  for  yielding  to  the  ungoverna- 
ble nvshness  of  Chariot." 

"  This  over,  the  old  Barou  said  in  a  com- 
manding tone  :  '  Now  to  rest.  You  will  start 
at  five  in  the  morning.  The  Algonquius 
shall  take  care  of  the  prisoners.' " 

"Then  Major   Von  Steingold,  who  since 
our  dopartiuo  from  Hudson  Bay,  had  not  ut- 
tered a  single   syUablo,    yet   punctually  lUs- 
chargod  the  lowly  functions   imposed  upon 
him  by  Mouthic  lo   Ilougo,  approached  the 
old  Barou,  aud  having  saluted  him,  said  ; 
"  'Baron,  I  come  to  complain,     .     .     .'" 
"  'Of  whom?'" 
"  '  Your  sou  !'  " 

"  Ilauuibal  looked  at  him  with  disdain  and 
called  Montluc  lo  Ilougo." 
"  '  Now,'  said  he,  speak.'  " 
"  The  Major  from  Wostplialia  wont  on :" 
'"Ho  has  treated  me  with   indignity,    my 
Lord  Baron,  in  such  a  fashion  that,  in   my 
person  he  dishonors  the  entire  Gorman  no- 
bility." 

"And  he  explained  how  Montluc  hivd 
obligtid  him  to  jjolish  his  boots  for  the  past 
fifteen  days." 

"  'Really,'  said  the  Baron;'  'and  why?'" 
"  Then  Montluc  exi^lained  that  before  the 
assault  Steingold  had  threatened  to  hang  him, 
if  ho  did  not  surrender." 
"  The  Barou  paused." 
"  '  Then  he  still  insulted—'  " 
"  '  Was  it  with  a  stick  or  a  whip,  or  such 
other  weajwu  he  compelled  you  to   do  this 
blacking  business  ?     .     ,     .     How  did  he  go 
al)out  it  ?' " 

"  'He  prevented  me  from  getting  anything 
to  eat  before  his  shoes  were  pohshed.' " 
"  '  Aud  you  obeyed  ?' " 
"  'How  could  I  have  disobeyed  in  a  land 
where  there  is  nothing  but  snow  and  ice.'  " 
'' '  Well,  Steingold,  bo  gratefiil  for  my  son's 
moderation  and  clemency,  for  if  you  had  threat- 
ened me,  not  only  should  you  have  pohshed 
my  shoes  for  a  whole  month,  but  I   would 
have  you  hanged  at  the  end.     .     .     .'" 

' '  At  these  words  poor  Steingold  shuddered, 
and  withdrew,  followed  by  old  Buffalo,  who, 
to  console  him,  said:" 

"'Too  silly.  Major.  Tongue  too  long. 
Avoid  the  Great  Black  Bear.  (This  is  the 
old  Baron's  name  among  the  savages  in  Can- 
ada).    Hand  opens,  and  full  of  present  for 


TI!E  OmEPTAINR  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


"they  wzbb  thbee  wabbiobs  or  lofty  statue  and  commanding  aspect." 


Uie  friend,  Great  Black  Bear,  Naked  Sword, 
flenched  fist  for  the  enemy.  Generous  al- 
ways, but  never  forgiving.  And  hard  as 
ron.     Sharp  as  steel.' " 

"I  did  not  wait  to  hear  the  other  objurga- 
ions  of  Buffalo,  who  was  amusing  himself,  I 
fancy,  by  enhancing  the  "Westphalians,  fright, 
ad  at  a  sign  of  the  old  Baron,  I  rejoined  him 
»ith  his  son.  There  we  held  council,  or 
sther  he  gave  us  his  orders." 


' '  He  said,  in  the  first  place,  to  his  son :  '  I 
am  satisfied  with  you,  Rongeot.  (It  was  hia 
term  of  affection).  You  executed  your  tank 
speedily  and  well.  It  was  also  necessary,  for 
everything  is  giving  way  in  this  colony.  The 
King  sends  no  "upplies.  The  Minister,  Pont. 
Chartrain,  writes  to  Frontenac,  Governor  of 
the  Colony,  that  he  reUes  upon  his  courage, 
administration  and  military  talents.  Frontd- 
nac  shmgs  his  shoulders,  forwards  ou  the 


64 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  OHAMPLAIN. 


despatch,  and  writeu  that  he  has  neither  men 
nor  money,  that  a  body  of  three  hundred 
militia  mdn  were  surprised  and  defeated  by 
the  English  army,  that  half  of  them  perished 
after  a  terrible  struggle,  and  the  rest  have 
been  taken  to  Boston,  where,  however,  they 
are  well  treated.  He  finishes  by  saying  that 
he  has  10  one  to  hope  in  but  me,  and  that  I 
must  furnish  everything,  even  arms  and 
money.'     Accordingly  you  shall  set-out.' " 

•"Alone,  father?'" 

'"No,  with  Lord  Kildare.' " 

'"For  Quebec?'" 

"  'No.  For  Montluc  Tower.  You  will  see 
your  mother,  and  sister  and  Lucy.  Take  five 
himdred  thousand  hvres  of  the  Spanish  gold 
ormces,  that  were  once  aboard  the  famous 
galleon,  which  I  captured  from  the  Castillian 
Admiral,  and  of  which  you  will  take  it  by 
water  to  Quebec,  together  with  two  hundred 
of  the  muskets  you  captured  in  the  fort.  The 
rest  will  remain  in  our  arsenal  for  the  Algon- 
quins,  who,  for  the  most  part,  have  only 
their  bows  and  arrows.'" 

'"But  you,  father?'" 

' ' '  Don't  be  uneasy  for  me.  I  remain  with 
lay  savages  and  your  prisoneix,  v/hom  I  shall 
myself  conduct  to  within  thirty  leagues  of 
Boston.  Then  I  shall  propose  the  exchange 
of  our  unfortunate  militiamen.'  " 

'"But,  Baron,'  I  venttired  to  say,  'our 
prisoners  are  three  times  as  many  as  those  of 
the  English.     There  is  no  equality.' " 

' ' '  My  dear  Kildare. '  he  answered,  '  you 
don't  know  our  men.  Each  of  them  is  worth 
four  English  mercenaries  for  sobriety,  strength, 
activity,  and  skill  in  the  use  of  arms,  and  as 
to  their  coiirage — no  one  surimsses,  if  any 
one  ec]^iials  them,  wliich  I  don't  believe.  Our 
(Canadians !  Did  you  not  see  them  the  day 
of  the  assault  ?  The  bargain  will  be  a  good 
one  for  US,  and  the  Enghsh  will  accept  it  with 
pleasure,  believing  it  still  more  advantageous 
to  them.' " 

"  'B>it  who  will  command  Fort  Calaracony 
in  my  absenjo  ?' " 

"  '  Your  lieutenant.  As  for  yourself,  in  my 
absence,  you  will  take  command  of  Montluc 
Tower,  and  be  admiral  and  commander-in- 
chief  over  Lake  Erie,  until  myself  and  my 
scm  return.  Does  this  arrangement  suit  you  ? 
Montluc  le  Rouge  will  take  care  that  Lord 
Forteuac  gives  his  consent.' " 

"Ahi  yes,  indeed,  the  an-angement  did 
suit  me.  It  did  even  more;  it  made  me 
happy,  and  I  already  flattered  myself  with 
the  pleasure  of  going  over  my  exploits  and 
those  of  Montluc  with  the  ladies.  But  I  was 
far  from  foreseeing  what  did  await  me 
there.' 


r  "  The  next  day,  at  dawn,  we  took  leave  of 
Baron  Hannibal,  who,  on  his  side,  allowed  us 
to  take  away  the  men  who  had  followed  us  to 
Hudson  Bay.  He  set  out  himself  for  Boston 
with  his  prisoners,  whom  the  Algonquins  had 
in  a  few  seconds  despoiled  of  everything, 
except  their  most  indispensable  articles  of 
clothing.  They  were  led  along  in  a  leash  hke 
dogs.  Little  was  wanting  to  make  them  mas- 
sacre the  poor  unarmed  Germans ;  but  old 
Montluc  prevented  them,  not  without  saying 
to  me,  '  I  am  not  sorry  at  this  beginning. 
We  must  terrify  these  fellows  to  make  them 
march  on,  and  I  must  go  quick.' " 

"  As  for  Montluc  le  Rouge,  he  was  so 
earnest  also,  but  for  other  reasons,  to  reach 
the  end  of  his  journey,  that  he  did  not  allow 
us  a  moment's  rest,  and,  whether  on  land  or 
by  water  (some  rowing,  while  others  were  re- 
posing) we  made  a  hundred  leagues  in  three 
days,  and  set  foot  '^n  land  in  the  Island  of 
Turtle,  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  on  the 
fourth  day." 

"I  shall  not  say  how  we  were  received, 
especially  Montluc  le  Rouge,  for  the  three 
ladies  gave  him  the  most  enthusiastic  wel- 
come on  the  pretext  that  he  was  their  son, 
their  brother  and  betrothed.  Old  Carri- 
zaray,  himself  a  Basque,  eighty-four  years 
old,  who  guarded  the  Castle  and. watched  the 
lake  in  Baron  Hannibal's  absence,  threw 
liimself  into  the  arms  of  Rongeot  (he  used  the 
same  name  as  hi  father),  and  observed 
quite  loud:" 

"  'The  son  will  equal  the  father.  It  is  all 
a  Christian  can  do,  for  the  Great  Black  Bear, 
look  you,  is  a  man  who  never  had  a  master 
in  the  order  of  nature.  If  the  King  only 
knew  what  he  was  doing,  it  is  he  who  should 
be  named  Governor  of  Canada,  and  things 
would  get  along  differently,  I  assure  you,  my 
children.'" 

"To  which  my  friend  Montluc  replied, 
with  a  smile  and  embrace  in  his  turn,  '  Father 
Carrizaray,  sons  never  have  been  as  good  as 
their  fathers  in  any  age  or  any  chme,  but  we 
shall  do  our  best,  my  sons  and  myself,  to 
come  near  it!'" 

"Despite  the  joy  of  seeing  us  again,  wliich 
was  fully  ei^ual  on  both  sides,  our  company 
did  not  appear  to  be  at  ease.  Father  Fleurj' 
was  telling  anecdotes  that  fell  flat  on  us,  and 
was  himself  pre-occupied  with  some  controll- 
ing thought.  He  was  expecting  something. 
Finally,  as  he  arose  to  survey  the  lake, 
Chariot,  who  stood  up  at  the  same  time,  but 
being  younger,  had  better  sight,  cried  out: 
'  Smoke  1'" 

"It  was  far  enough,  for  we  were  three 
leagues  from  the  shore,  but  I   took  the   sea 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


Gr, 


glass  and  saw,  in  fact,  at  thirty  feet  almoHt, 
from  one  another  (as  well  as  I  could  dis- 
tinguish from  the  distance)  three  big  fires  lit 
along  the  very  same  Une." 

"Then  Father  Fleury  raised  his  hands 
to  heaven,  and  said  in  a  voice  broken  yet 
strong,  '  God  be  praised.  Carrizaray,  get  my 
boat  ready.     I  wish  to  go  below.'" 

"We  wanted  to  keep  him  back,  but  he  in- 
sisted, when  we  saw  a  boat  suddenly  sh»TOt- 
ing  from  the  opposite  shore  and  steer  for  us 
at  ftill  speed.  The  boat  was  manned  by 
three  savages." 

"  '  They  are  my  friends,  the  Iroquois,'  said 
Father  Fleury,  '  They  have  kept  their  word, 
and  are  come  to  announce  the  fact  to  me. 
The  Colony  is  saved.'  " 

"  '  I  knew  his  negotiation  with  the  Iroquois 
would  not  be  barren,'  remarked  Monthic  to 
me.     '  You  are  about  to  see  its  fruits.'  " 

"  Some  minutes  afterward  the  three  Iro- 
quois came  ashore.  They  were  three  war- 
riors of  lofty  statue  and  commanding  aspect. 
Each  of  them  carried  his  tomahawk  upon  his 
shoulder,  his  scalping-knife  and  six  scalps 
hung  from  his  belt,  and  his  gun  in  hand. 
They  moved  majestically  through  the  saloon, 
saluted,  after  the  Iroquois  fashion,  Madame 
Montluc  and  requested  audience  from  Mont- 
hic  le  Rouge  and  Father  Fleury." 

"  Then  the  three  Iroquois,  who  were  in- 
vited by  Father  Fleury  and  my  friend  Mont- 
luc, to  take  seats,  squatted  themselves  on  the 
floor,  and  the  eldest  of  the  number  spoke:" 

"  '  Father  of  prayers,'  he  said  (it  was 
Father  Fleury's  name  among  the  savages)  '  it 
is  despite  our  efforts  that  war  has  broken  out. 
We  desired  only  peace,  but  the  Pale  Faces 
whose  reason  the  Great  Spirit  has  obscured, 
desired  distinction.  Two  thousand  five 
hundred  have  perished  and  are  buried  on  the 
banks  of  the  great  river.'  " 

"  This  is  how  it  happened:  The  six  Iro- 
quois tribes  had  promised  to  send  three 
thousand  warriors  to  help  the  English  to  take 
Quebec,  and  cut  down  the  French  to  a  man. 
They  kept  their  word.  We  stopped  on  the 
banks  of  the  river  Richelieu— we  to  hunt,  the 
English  to  await  supplies,  tor  these  Pale 
Faces  do  not  rely  upon  the  Great  Spirit  to 
maintain  them,  but  upon  store-houses  stocked 
with  meats,  bread  and  whiskey.  We  were 
encamped  higher  up  the  river,  the  English, 
lower  down.  Four  days  later  a  pestilence 
broke  out  in  the  English  camp  and  lap'^ed  six 
days.  After  this,  all  the  men  who  were  still 
alive,  took  the  road  back  to  Boston.  Mean- 
while two  thousand  five  hundred  of  them 
perished,  that  is  to  say,  a  third  of  the  anny." 

"'And  how  many  of  your    own  men?' 


asked  Montliic  le  Rouge,   who  was  Usteuing 
attentively  to  this  recital." 

"  '  Not  one,'  answered  the  Iroquois.  '  The 
Great  Spirit  protects  his  red  childi'eu. 
Father  of  Prayers,  we  promised  you  the 
English  would  not  go  to  Quebec.  You  see 
we  have  kept  our  faith  with  you.'  " 

" '  You  have  done  well,'  said  Father  Fleury. 
And  as  I  wished  to  inquire  what  had  caused 
the  pestilence,  he  closed  my  mouth  with  a 
word:  '  My  sou,  it  is  the  will  of  God,  whose 
ways  are  mysterious.'" 

"I  was  obliged  to  be  satisfied  with  this  ex- 
planation, the  Iroquois  not  having  shown  aiy 
disposition  to  say  more  about  it,  and  Father 
Fleurj'  exhibiting  no  curiosity  to  hear  more. 
Some  days  later,  we  ascertained  the  truth 
from  Buffalo,  who  /ent  to  hunt  up  informa- 
tion on  the  point.  The  Iroquois  by  dint  of 
heaping  around  the  camp  the  carcasses  of 
animals  slain  in  the  chase,  poisoned  a  stream 
hard  by  from  which  the  unfortunate  fellows 
used  to  draw  water.  Thereupon  a  horrible 
typhus  fever  spread  through  the  camp,  and 
while  it  destroyed  the  third  part  of  the  army 
disabled  for  some  time  the  rest.  Fathe 
Fleury,  who  had  some  suspicions  of  this 
abominable  stratagem  which  made  him 
shudder,  was  quite  cautious  about  making 
inquiries  which  would  have  raised  none  of 
the  dead  to  hfe,  and  might  serve  to  aUenate 
from  us  the  Iroquois." 

CHAPTER  XV. 

a  hvntino  pabty — oubiotjs  use  made  of  an 
kle's  back. 

"  'Two  hours  later,'  resumed  Lord  Kil- 
dare,  '  our  Iroquois  friends  departed  laden 
down  with  presents,  of  which  the  most  pre 
cious  in  their  eyes  was  a  small  case  of  brandy, 
coutammg  about  three  pints,  which  they 
promised  to  drink  to  the  health  of  the  Great 
Black  Bear,  the  name  by  which,  as  I  have 
already  said,  the  Baron  was  known  to  the 
savages." 

"  Soon  after,  in  accordance  with  the  direc- 
tions of  Montluc  le  Rouge,  I  assumed  the 
command  of  the  island  and  all  Lake  Erie. 
Montluc  prepared  for  his  journey;  sliipped 
five  hundred  muskets  with  the  requisite  am- 
munition, and  stowed  away  in  the  hold  the 
two  hundred  tho".sand  livres  in  gold,  which 
his  father  had  instructed  him  to  bring  to 
Quebec.  He  then  proposed  an  excursion  on 
the  lake." 

'  It  being  a  time  of  peace,  the  ladies  shed 
to  be  of  the  party,  and  Montluc  willingly  ac- 
ceded to  their  wishes.  We  each  took  a  canoe. 
Mademoiselle  Atheuais  going  with  me,  aud 
Mademoiselle  Lucy  with  Montluc.     He  and  I 


«6 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


rowed,  and  the  ladies  steered.  Chariot  de- 
sired to  join  in  our  excursion  with  Buffalo, 
Madame  Montluc  and  old  Carrizaray,  who, 
notwithstanding  his  great  age,  was  not  the 
last  or  least  skilful  pilot  among  us." 

' '  We  had  resolved  to  fish  by  torch  light  at 
the  mouth  of  a  little  river,  which  flows  into 
Lake  Erie,  two  leagues  from  Montluc  Tower, 
salmon  in  which  is  as  plentiful  as  gudgeons 
are  in  France;  but,  as  it  was  not  the  proper 
time  (which  is  in  the  night),  we  carried  some 
provisions  ashore,  and  enjoyed  a  merry  sup- 
per." 

' '  Father  Fleury  had  not  been  able  to  start 
with  us,  being  engaged  in  rehgious  colloquy 
witli  some  of  the  Algouquius;  but  he  arrived 
iu  good  season  in  his  own  canoe,  which  was 
rowed  by  two  stout  Canadians.  To  amuse  us 
and  while  away  the  time  till  durk,  he  re- 
counted some  of  his  travels  among  the  sav- 
ages, upon  which  he  had — and  he  sighed  as 
he  jaade  the  assertion — escaped  martyrdom  a 
hundred  times." 

"'Then,'  said  Montluc  le  llouge,  with  a 
laugh,  '  you  don't  still  hope  to  become  a 
martyr  ?' " 

"'Alas!  no,  not  at  my  age.  Think  only, 
my  child,  that  I  am  over  ninety  years  of  age. ' 
And  as  he  perceived  that  this  thought  only 
saddened  all  his  hearers,  ho  added :  '  Instead 
of  begging  nio  to  stay  always  here  below,  a 
tliiug  which  wholly  depend  upon  God's  will, 
you  should,  my  dear  children,  be  looking  out 
lor  niy  successor. '  " 

"'Never,  never!'  cried  Montluc.  'And 
first  of  all  who  could  marry  us,  Lucy  and  me, 
if  you  should  forsake  us  ?  '  " 

"  '  Oh  !  no  one,'  said  Lucy,  laughing.  'I 
should  prefer  never  to  be  iiiamed  at  all.'  " 

"  '  I  hope  I  may  see  you  happy,'  said  Father 
Fleury." 

' '  I  was  considering  Mademoiselle  Montluc, 
her  mother,  her  brother,  this  grand  lake  of 
emerald  green,  these  fertile  islands  where 
you  can  see  only  the  brier  and  the  grass,  and 
the  deer,  squirrel,  elk,  and  kino  grazing  at 
will.  I  was  thinking  of  that  old  Baron,  head 
of  an  illustrious  race,  who  had  been  driven 
from  his  country  and  condemned  to  death,  who 
had  come  here  with  his  good  sword  in  his 
hand  and  some  brave  companions  iu  search  of 
freedom;  who  had  carved  out  for  himself  a 
territory  larger  than  three  provinces,  which 
he  governed  under  the  triple  authority  of 
magistrate,  chosen  for  his  eijuity  by  his  fel- 
low-citizens; hero,  who  protects  his  friends 
and  himself,  and  citizen  who  bears  on  high 
the  arms  and  glory  of  his  country,  and  se- 
cures  for  the  future  new  generations.  I  was 
reflecting  upon  this  aged  priest  who  possessed 


nothing  on  earth — if  you  except  a  wooden 
crucifix — yet  preached  to  the  most  ferocious 
savages  the  Christian  precept:  '  Love  one 
another.'  Who  gave  the  example  in  his  own 
hfo,  going  alone  without  arms  and  without 
fear,  into  the  midst  of  scores  of  hostile  natives 
with  the  most  horrible  tortures  ever  staring 
him  the  face,  who  dreamt  of  martyrdom  as 
his  only  reward;  yet  was  covered  by  the  Lord 
wherever  he  went  with  a  buckler,  not  fearing 
blows,  or  wounds,  or  the  most  atrocious  and 
last  discovered  tortures,  but  with  sadness 
and  sinking  of  heart,  hoping  for  heaven  as 
his  recompense,  yet  not  hastening  a  whit  the 
day  of  deUvery." 

"  I  was  looking  also  at  my  friend,  Montluc 
lo  Kouge — a  friend  of  six  weeks,  whom  I  be- 
lieved I  had  loved  before  my  birth — the  son 
of  old  Baron  Hannibal,  the  pupil  of  Father 
Fleury,  sprung  from  the  union  of  two  illustri- 
ous races  of  France  and  Canada,  just  as  the 
Ohio, the  finest  river  in  North  America, springs 
from  the  confluence  of  the  Allegheny  and 
Mouangahela,  first  of  Pale  Faces  by  his 
father,  first  of  redskins  by  his  mother, feared 
by  his  eueuiies  as  a  thunderbolt,  worshipped 
by  his  friends  and  followers  in  battle  with  a 
blind  trust,  hke  a  god  of  war  among  the 
savages,  the  friend  who  had  once  already 
saved  my  life,  as  if  for  amusement ;  and  I 
thought,  in  the  depths  of  my  soul,  shall  I 
again  see  the  homa  of  the  Fitzgerald  and  my 
verdant  County  of  Kildare  ?  Shall  I  be  for 
life  a  wandering,  unhappy  exUe,  without  fam- 
ily home  or  friends,  when  these,  my  new- 
found acquaintances,  open  their  arms  to  me 
and  bid  me  welcome  as  a  brother  ?  And 
then,  these  reflections,  and  others,  sadder 
which  I  shall  not  describe,  Father,  as  they 
suit  my  state  rather  than  yours,  and  ihe 
desire  to  found  a  new  family,  a  new  race 
of  Fitzgerald  and  a  nev  County  of  Kildare,  a 
new  homo  in  the  ©udlesri  forests  of  the  New 
World,  and  draw  thither  all  the  Cathohc  peo- 
ple of  Ireland,  suggested  a  project  which  I 
shall  soon  talk  over  with  you." 

"Lord  Kildare  was  at  this  stage  of  his  nar- 
rative, when  Lord  Montluc  arose  and  said:" 

"'The  sun  is  shining,  Father.  While  my 
friend  Gerald  is  detaihng  our  history  and  his 
own  particular  views,  which  you  must  learn 
sooner  or  later,  I  shall  go  with  Phoebus  to  see 
if  the  snow  begins  to  melt,  so  that  we  shall 
have  it  soon  in  our  power  to  set  out.  The 
mission  entrusted  to  me  by  the  King  is  ur- 
gent, and  we  shall  depart  as  soon  as  possi. 
bla.'  Then  turning  to  Beauf  oil:  'Come  with 
me,'  he  said,  'You  shall  point  out  the  way  to 
Tulle,  and  like  me,  take  your  rifle.  We  can't 
know  what  may  happen.     Our  wolveu  of  yes- 


THE  OHIKlf'TAlNS  OF  CHAMPLAIN.    i' 


67 


'  MT   liOBD   KILDABE,    IS   IT  LONG  SINCE   TOU   LEFT   IRELAND  ?  " 


terday  will  perhaps  be  looking  out  for  re- 
prisals. ' " 

"  'Ah  I  my  Lord,'  said  Marian,  raising  her 
voice,  '  don't  take  him  with  you,  I  beseech 
you,  or  if  you  do,  take  good  care  of  hira.  My 
poor  Beaufoil  will  be  lost  in  the  snow. ' " 

"  'I  shall  bring  him  back  again,  take  my 
word  for  it,*  answered  Montluo,  laugh- 
ing." 

" 'Yes,  Marian,'  cried  Beaufoil,    irritated, 


*  if  you  don't  keep  your  mouth  closed,  and  con- 
tinue maligning  me,  spending  your  days  dis- 
gracing me  with  your  tongue,  I  shall  leave  you 
here  all  alone  with  my  mother.  You  will 
live  on  forever  wrangling.  His  reverence, 
too,  will  leave  you  here,  preferring  to  convert 
savages  and  cannibals  than  hear  you,  night 
and  morning,  scolding  and  teasing  a  man  a 
h  indred  times  better  than  you.'  " 

' '  This  threat  either  appeased  or  frightened 


en 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  OHAMPLAIN. 


Marian,  I  don't  know  which,  bnt  it  nuEule  her 
Kt'cp  (tilent,  and  afforded  Beanfoil  a  chance  to 
{^o  with  Lord  Montluo  and  Phcebns  without 
further  molestation.  Then  Bhe  went  down  to 
tLu  kitchen,  and  left  me  alone  with  Lord 
KilJare,  who  took  up  the  thread  of  his  story, 
and  went  on  in  these  words:" 

"  'We  were  chatting  pleasantly,  as  you  have 
just  seen,  thinking  of  the  future,  here  below 
and  in  the  hereafter,  and  of  paradise  where 
we  all  hoped,  without  doubt,  to  secure  a  place 
some  day,  when  Chariot,  who  could  brook  but 
ill  any  kind  of  serious  talk,  arose  and  said  to 
his  sister:" 

'"Athenais,  will  you  come  with  me?  I 
see  Phoebus  full  of  hfe,  scenting  around  after 
something,  he  wags  his  tail  and  looks  at  me 
a<)  if  to  say  that  he  has  discovered  some  big 
game.  Certainly  there  is  something  or  some 
one  in  the  neighborhood.  I  know  not  whom 
or  what,  but  there  is  some  thing,  surely. ' " 

" '  Perhaps  a  bear,'  said  the  mother.  And 
she  wanted  to  keep  them  back.  But  Montluo 
said  to  me,  with  a  soft  laugh,  '  Kildare,  I  en- 
trust them  to  you.  Athenais  is  not  a  great 
shot  with  the  rifle,  but  Chariot,  if  he  took 
time  to  aim,  would  be  perfect,  but  he  is 
always  too  much  in  a  hurry.  Remember  to 
reserve  your  shot  for  the  last  moment  and  to 
fire  at  close  range.  If  you  should  encounter 
a  bear,  he  will  bo  a  tough  customer,'" 

"Fortified  with  these  instructions,  we  all 
foiu:  set  out,  for  I  coimt  Phoebus,  who  I  should 
confess,  led,  rather  than  followed  us.  He 
leaped  about  to  the  right  and  to  the  left;  into 
the  woods,  and  into  the  heath,  and  into  the 
open  spaces  in  the  wood  where  the  savages 
had  encamped;  but  very  different  from  us 
v.ho  were  proceeding  at  random,  he  seemed  to 
be  following  a  fixed  track,  and  hunting  some 
game  which  his  instinct  hadlong  since  located. 
Chariot  followed,  encouraging,  cheering,  call- 
ing him  back  again  and  again,  and  both  dash- 
ing here  and  there  through  the  forest.  All 
this  time  I  was  walking  by  the  side  of  Mad- 
emoiselle Montluc.  I  am  not  eloquent  by 
nature,  God  knows,  I  leave  that  to  advocates 
and  those  who  live  by  it.  Yet,  I  can  talk,  if 
necessary,  and  even  very  fairly,  as  judges 
will  say,  five  languages — I  can  speak  the 
Gaelic,  the  language  of  the  ancient  Hiber- 
nians and  of  all  true  Irishmen.  I  am 
passable  at  Latin;  I  could  speak  English  as  my 
mother-tongue  if  I  wished;  but  I  do  not,  for 
fear  of  growing  like  the  Saxon  enemies  of  my 
race.  And  I  speak  French,  as  you  see,  that 
is  to  say— very  tolerably.  However,  I  make 
myself  intelligible,  which  is  the  main  point. 
"Well,  would  you  believe  that  with  such  gifts 
and  means  at  hand  to  say  agreeable  things.  I 


did  not  find  a  word  to  utter,  when  I  per- 
ceived  I  had  a  chance  of  chatting  with 
Mademoiselle  Montluo  in  the  forest;  for  Char- 
lot  and  Phoebus  were  at  times  so  far  away 
that  you  might  have  looked  upon  them  as 
absent,  if  you  did  not  hear,  at  intervals,  the 
cry  of  the  one  and  the  joyous  bark  of  the 
other." 

"Why  could  I  find  nothing  to  say?  I 
know  not.  But  I  was  as  silent  as  a  pitcher 
at  a  well,  and  this  silence  easily  lasted  over  a 
quarter  of  an  hour.  When  the  young  lady 
observed  that  I  was  not  speaking,  she  opened 
the  conversation  with  a  voice  clear  and  dis- 
tinct as  crystal : 

"  'My  Lord  Kildare,  is  it  long  since  you  left 
Ireland  ?' 

" 'Six  years.  Mademoiselle.' 

"This  question  afforded  me  lively  pleasure ; 
it  broke  the  oppressive  silence  which  lay  like 
a  pall  over  me,  and  gave  me  at  the  same  time 
hfe  and  breath. 

"But  she  did  not  confine  her  curiosity  to 
that,  the  beautiful  girl.  She  wished  to  know 
if  the  Coimty  Kildare  was  a  fine  country. 

"Certainly,  Madeiuoiselle,  the  finest  in 
the  universe.' 

" '  Finer  than  Canada?' 

"I  answered  that  it  was  impossible  to  be- 
lieve that  a  country  she  Uved  in  was  not  the 
finest  on  earth. 

"Then  she  began  to  laugh,  and  inquired 
if  Kildare  Castle,  the  home  of  my  ancestors, 
was  also  the  finest  of  all  castles. 

"  'After  Montluo  Tower,  yes,  Mademoi- 
selle.' 

"Then  she  asked  how  many  towers  the 
castle  had,  how  many  windows  or  casements 
were  in  each  tower,  how  many  principal 
apartments  there  were,  whether  we  had  a 
fine  guard-room,  armors,  swords,  lances,  old- 
time  arquebuses,  which  I  regretted  next  to 
my  father  and  the  tenantry  of  the  Fitzger- 
alds. 

' '  I  replied  to  each,  glad  that  so  beautiful 
a  creature,  my  best  friend's  sister,  took  such 
an  interest  in  all  my  affairs. 

"Just  then.  Chariot,  without  speaking, 
made  a  sign  from  a  distance  to  stop,  and  with 
a  motion  ordered  Phoebus  down. 

I  carefully  examined  the  priming  of  my 
rifle,  which  Mademoiselle  Montluc  also  did 
for  herself,  and  we  waited  in  silence. 

' '  Chariot  approached  us,  creeping  throagh 
the  tall  shrubs.  He  was  followed  by  Phoebus, 
who  seemed  to  have  understood,  or  rather 
given  some  sign  that  something  serious  was 
occurring  in  the  neighborhood. 
'  ' '  The  forest  we  were  in  was  traversed  by 
the  river  at  whose  mouth  we  had  encamped. 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


69 


Like  most  Canadian  forests,  ifc  consisted  of 
oak  trees  twice  as  lofty  and  bulky  as  those  in 
France,  running  back  for  the  most  part  to 
the  early  days  of  Christianity.  Among  these 
stately  trees  rose  still  finer  beeches  whose 
leafy  branches  reflected,  in  fine  weather,  the 
thousand  rays  of  the  sun.  Beneath  and 
around  the  oak  and  beech  trees  which  grew 
far  apart  you  discovered  a  velvety  sward, 
where  the  stag,  deer,  elk,  squirrel  and  all  the 
beasta  of  the  forest  were  wont  to  browse.  In 
the  open  spaces  the  grass  is  almost  as  tall  as 
a  man.  From  this  you  can  form  a  picture  of 
the  scenes,  Father. 

"You  must  know  also  that  we  were  not 
more  than  five  hundred  feet  from  the  lake 
where  the  river  has  its  inlet.  This  will 
enable  you  to  understand  the  catastrophe 
that  took  place.  As  soon  as  Chariot  was 
within  fifty  feet  of  us  he  straightened  himself 
up,  for  he  had  been  crawling  through  the 
long  grass,  and  exclaimed : 

•"Attention!     Beware!     There  they  are ! ' 

"'Who?' 

"  But  Chariot  made  no  reply.  He  was  too 
much  absorbed  in  deciphering  some  invisible 
object.  Mademoiselle  de  Montluc  caused  me 
in  turn  to  look  to  the  West,  on  the  forest 
side,  and  showed  me  two  fine  elks  approach- 
ing us  slowly,  like  two  philosophers,  with 
their  flanks  exposed  to  Chariot. 

"The  elk.  Father,  is  a  rare  animal  now, 
although  it  once  covered  the  whole  continent. 
It  is  four-legged,  mammiferous,  full-horned, 
akin  to  the  deer  and  therefore  to  the  hind, 
whom  he  resembles;  but  his  antlers  .",re 
larger  and  stronger.  He  is  about  as  tall  as  a 
large  Normandy  horse  and  unsurpassed  for 
fleetness  of  foot.  In  striking  with  his  antlers 
(or,  if  you  prefer,  his  horns),  he  far  excels 
the  fiercest  bull,  and  with  his  hoofs  he  could 
break  an  anvil.  No  animal  can  hope  to  out- 
strip him  in  a  gallop.  Very  gentle  when  let 
alone,  he  is  terrible  when  attacked. 

"The  two  elks  approached  us  at  an  easy 
trot,  without  heeding  the  barks  of  Phcebus 
or  seeing  us. 

"All  of  a  sudden  Mademoiselle  de  Montluc 
raised  her  rifle  to  her  shoulder,  took  slow 
aim,  and  was  about  to  fire  at  the  larger  of  the 
two  animals,  when  Chariot  anticipated  her 
and  fired  at  the  first,  the  other  elk.  Then, 
without  further  aim  she  fired  in  her  turn. 

' '  Following  the  recommendations  of  Mont- 
luc le  Bouge,  I  had  reserved  my  fire  and  was 
awaiting,  finger  on  trigger,  the  result  of  the 
first  shock.  The  two  animals  were  hit,  but 
in  a  different  mamier.  Chariot's  ball  broke 
half  way  one  of  the  antlers  of  the  smaller  elk, 
which  appeared  to  be  the  female,  and  stag- 


gered the  animal  just  as  a  stout  blow  would 
have  done. 

' '  In  reality,  however,  it  was  not  wounded, 
but  the  affront  it  had  received  rendered  it 
furious.  It  turned  on  Chariot  and  charged 
with  such  impetuosity  that  Chariot,  who  was 
only  seven  or  eight  feet  from  the  enemy,  did 
not  have  time  to  load  his  piece,  or  even  put 
himself  on  his  defense. 

"I  could  not  come  to  his  assistance,  for  I 
was  myself  otherwise  occupied,  as  you  shall 
see,  and  assuredly  I  needed  all  my  strength 
and  presence  of  mind. 

' '  But  good  blood  cannot  belie  itself.  He 
was  of  too  good  a  stock  to  be  confused. 
Above  all,  as  he  fully  perceived,  that  he 
could  not  sustain  the  shock,  he  bethought 
himself  of  going  round  the  tnink  of  a  big 
oak  to  let  the  elk  pass  by,  for  the  latter  was 
advancing  like  a  storm,  overturning  or 
clearing  at  a  bound  the  bushes  which  separ- 
ated him  from  Chariot. 

"Phoebus,  who  had  gone  a  round-about 
way,  followed  him,  but  at  a  distance  of  twenty 
feet.  If  the  elk  had  succeeded  in  striking 
the  boy  with  his  hoof  or  horns,  he  would  have 
disembowelled  him  or  broken  all  his  bones. 
Now  see  what  occurred." 

' '  Chariot  did  not  have  time  to  wheel  round 
the  tree.  The  animal  was  already  so  near 
that  felt  almost  its  breath.  Accordingly,  he 
resolved  himself  at  once,  and  springing  al- 
most four  feet,  he  seized  a  branch  of  the  oak, 
raised  himself  by  the  wrists,  so  as  to  sit  on 
the  branch  and  thus  see  passing  beneath  him 
his  astonished  enemy." 

"He  then  began  to  laugh,  clapping  his 
hands  to  make  fun  of  the  elk;  then  ho 
wanted  to  load  his  rifle,  but  he  had  no  time 
for  it.  The  masterful  animal,  which  in  its 
furious  attack  had  shot  by  the  oak  several 
feet,  came  again  to  the  charge,  and  rising  on 
its  hind  legs,  with  its  forefeet  against  the 
trunk  of  the  tree,  endeavored  to  strike  it 
with  the  antlers,  which  were  still  quite  re- 
doubtable weapons,  although  one  was  half 
broken." 

"  Chariot,  who  was  quite  composed,  climbed 
to  a  higher  branch,  and  thence,  as  from  the 
top  of  tower,  bade  defiance  to  the  foe." 

"Unfortunately,  the  branch,  being  too 
weak  to  support  his  weight,  broke  all  of  a 
sudden.  He  was  loading  his  rifle  and  trying 
to  keep  his  balance,  but  this  mishap  obhged 
him  to  let  it  drop,  together  with  the  powder 
and  bullets,  and  so  resulted  m  leaving  him 
unarmed." 

But,  still  worse,  he  came  tumbling  down 
on  the  elk,  and  in  his  efforts  to  stop  his  de- 
scent he  caught  hold  of  the  antlers  with  his 


70 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  CHAMPLAIN. 


hands — a  comical  bat  dangerous  position  bat 
for  Lis  presence  of  mind. 

"The  elk,  indignant  and  restive  at  this 
nnwonted  burden,  tried  to  horn  him,  by  toss- 
ing her  head  back,  but  did  not  succeed,  and 
Oharlot,  now  astride  her  back,  seeing  that 
he  had  no  arms  and  that  his  adversary  could 
make  use  of  hers  no  longer,  gaily  shouted, 
as  he  spurred  her  forward  with  his  heels. " 
•     '''Hoy!  Hoy!  au galop r" 

"For  her  part,  the  elk,  as  if  understanding 
French,  at  once  obeyed  and  dashed  away  at 
a  furious  gallop.  By  good  luck,  she  took  the 
direction  of  the  valley  on  the  lake  side,  and 
was  accompanied  all  along  her  mad  course 
by  Fhcebus,  who  was  endeavoring  to  catch 
her,  but  could  not  succeed. " 

"  After  racing  thus  about  three  quarters  of 
a  mile,  they  arrived  all  together  at  the  place 
where  Montluc  le  Houge,  Madame  Montluc 
and  Lucy  were  encamped  with  our  Canadians. " 
"  You  may  imagine  the  cries  and  amaze- 
ment of  the  whole  party,  the  fright  of  the 
mother  and  the  delight  of  our  brave  Chariot, 
who,  flushed  in  the  face,  and  mad  with  mer- 
riment, was  almost  as  much  out  of  breath  as 
the  elk  herself.  He  cried  out  as  he  approach- 
ed, '  Make  way !  clear  the  course  for  my 
horse  and  myself  I'  They  did  indeed  make 
way,  for  the  elk  swept  through  the  encamp- 
ment like  a  streak  of  lightning  and  plunged 
into  the  waters  of  Lake  Erie. " 

"All  the  spectators  uttered  a  shriek  of  ter- 
ror, all,  I  mean  save  Montluc  lo  Bouge,  and 
old  Buffalo,  who,  without  a  particle  of  excite- 
mant,  ran,  the  one  for  his  rifle,  the  other  for 
his  canoe." 

"Carrizaray  and  his  two  sons  untied  the 
boat  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  and  plied 
their  oars  in  pursuit  of  Chariot  and  his  strange 
mount." 

"Phoebus,  who  was  swimming  close  behind 
the  elk,  forced  her  to  change  her  course  and 
return  to  the  shore.  But  there  to  the  right 
and  to  the  left  were  old  Carrizaray  and  Buf- 
falo, each  in  his  canoe,  and  Montulc  le  Bouge 
covering  her  between  the  eyes  with  that  rifle 
of  his  that  never  misses." 

"Then  the  poor  beast  perceived  that  her 
fate  was  sealed,  and  wished  at  heart  to  ren- 
der her  last  sigh  on  the  soil  where  her  ances- 
tors had  lived.  And  as  she  swam  at  each 
stroke  nearer  her  shore  of  doom,  she  kept 
moaning  in  a  pitiful  fashion. 

"  Chariot  was  touched  by  her  distress,  and 
when  Boilalo  was  drawing  his  bow  to  dis- 
patch her,  ho  cried  out:  '  Don't  hurt  her, 
Buffalo  I  don't  hurt  her,  I  beg.  She  cannot 
harm  me.' " 

"Scarcely  had  the  eUt  planted  her  foot  on 


the  shore  than  Chariot  jumped  from  her  back 
at  a  bound,  and  the  poor  animal,  being  set 
free,  shot  off  at  full  speed,  tired  fhough  she 
must  have  been  after  her  previous  race  and 
bath  in  Lake  Erie.  She  was  anxious,  I  sup- 
pose,  to  rejoin  her  companion  with  whom 
Mademoiselle  Montluc  and  myself  found  it 
hard  to  part.     You  shall  learn  why." 


CHAPTEB   XVI. 


A    HIBAOULOCS   TAKE    OF  FISH  FOLLOWED   BT    k. 
DISQUIETING  VISIT. 

"'  This  did  not  end, '  said  Lord  Kildare,  'jthat 
unexpected  hunt,  during  which  we  successive- 
ly experienced  so  many  and  such  various 
emotions ;  but  I  will,  by  way  of  variety,  finish 
it  later.'"  .    ,  .,,    ,,,    ,, 

"Night  had  approached,  and  the 
fish  began  to  show  in  the  liver.  This 
time  and  for  precautions  sake,  as  the  water 
was  very  deep,  it  was  agreed  upon  that  those 
who  had  acquired  a  reputation  for  rashness 
should  not  be  allowed  to  engage  in  the  enter- 
prise and  run  the  risk  of  being  drowned. 
This  ukase  was  aimed  at  Chariot  and  Mad- 
emoiselle Montluc.  Their  brother  was  com- 
missioned to  watch  over  them,  for  he  is  nat- 
urally a  guardian  wherever  he  goes,  being 
bom  to  direct  and  command,  just  as  others 
are  borne  to  follow  and  obey.  I,  being  more 
staid  in  my  habits,  received  permission  'o 
keep  beside  the  sportsmen." 

"  We  lighted  torches  whose  flames  were  re- 
flected by  the  river.  The  stars  were  bright 
in  the  heavens,  the  evening,  very  cold  and  a 
wind  from  the  North  began  to  breathe  its 
frozen  breath  over  Lake  Erie." 

' '  While  the  Canadians  were  swinging  their 
torches  along  the  surface  of  the  water,  we  ob- 
served a  strange  movement  like  that  of. 
carps,  which  dart  headlong  after  a  morsel  of 
bread.  It  was  the  light  attracting  all  the 
large  fish,  especially  the  salmon.  They  came 
in  shoals,  hasty  and  hungry.  While  we  were 
waiting  to  see  them  flock  toward  a  huge  bait 
which  old  Carrizaray  had  cast  into  the  river, 
the  Canadians  had  been  stretching  across 
from  bank  to  bank,  two  nettings,  which  were 
lowered  to  the  bed  of  the  river  so  as  not  to 
disturb  them.  One  of  the  two  nets  prevent- 
ed their  escape  into  the  lake.  The  other, 
about  three  hundred  feet  higher  up  the  river, 
was  designed  to  cut  off  their  retreat." 

' '  These  precautions  taken,  Carrizaray  with 
his  sons,  threw  the  light  upon  the  river,  and 
the  great  piece  of  fresh  meat  which  served 
for  bait,  and  we  saw  the  salmon  advance. 
Some  approached,  coquetted,  drew  back, 
turned  to  the  right,  to  the  left,   were  appar 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


,n 


enUy  undecided,  then,  slashing  the  water 
with  their  tails  and  cojuing  finally  to  a  deter- 
mination, they  went  to  ioform  the  rest  of  the 
tribe  that  there  was  a  1f>  rorable  opportunity 
of  enjoying  a  good  repast,  o£  which  it  would 
be  foolish  not  to  take  advantage,  although 
they  coTild  not  make  out  where  the  wind-fall 
came.  And  as  proof  of  the  sincerity  of  their 
Invitation,  having  given  this  advice  to  their 
relations  and  friends,  they  made  haste  to  re- 
turn, conducting  all  their  guests  with  them." 

"  We  raised  the  nets,  and  drove  more  than 
three  hundred  salmon  into  a  little  creek  where 
we  had  already  decided  to  do  our  fishing." 

"Montluc  le  Rouge  in  the  first  place  took 
the  largest  salmon  in  the  whole  shoal  by  the 
tail  and  sent  it  whirling  to  the  bottom  of  the 
big  fishing  boat;  then,  old  Carrizaray,  who  in 
his  younger  days,  had  been  a  professional 
salmon  catcher;  then  myself,  who  had  quite 
often  already  fished  in  our  fine  rivers  in  Ire- 
land, and  finally  Chariot  and  the  two  young 
ladies  who  performed  wonders  on  their  part." 

♦  'You  may  say  that  I  subject  your  credulity  to 
a  test  I  Nevertheless,  nothing  is  more  true. 
The  ladies,  Athtenais  and  Lucy,  hunted  the 
salmon  with  the  rifie,  as  did  Chariot  also. 
They  all  took  the  salmon  on  the  wing." 

"You  have  never  seen  these  magnificent 
creatures  out  of  water  ?  Well,  when  they  go 
up  a  river  and  try  to  shoot  a  dam,  they  halt 
like  well-tempered  steeds  full  of  fire,  back 
thirty  or  forty  paces,  then  prepare  their 
spring  and  jump  clear  over  the  barrier.  It  is 
at  this  lightning  movement  that  you  must 
fire,  and  Chariot  calls  it,  ^^  Shooting  on  the 
toing." 

"  Twenty-five  or  thirty  were  wounded  and 
caught  while  trying  to  clear  the  netting.  The 
bullet  had  broken  their  backs  and  so  they 
fell  again  into  the  river  between  the  two  net- 
tings. All  that  then  remained  to  be  done  was 
to  take  them  in  your  hand  and  keep  out  of  the 
way  of  their  tails,  which  were  still  flapping. 
The  others,  killed  by  a  blow  from  the  oar,  or 
pierced  with  a  three-pronged  fork,  or  impris- 
oned and  huddled  into  a  small  space,  were 
taken  aboard  the  canoe,  and  as  the  wind  be- 
gan to  blow  colder  and  sharper,  old  Carriza- 
ray cried  out  to  us  that  it  was  time  to  ouit, 
for  there  was  fear  of  a  storm  before  iight 
ended,  and  perhaps  a  bitter  frost,  and  that  in 
either  case,  the  return  to  Montluc  Tower 
would  be  attended  with  no  small  diflaculty." 

" 'Then  let  us  be  quick,' said  Montluc  to 
me,  '  for  the  old  man  knows  the  lake  as  if  he 
had  made  it,  and  when  he  says  there  will  be  a 
storm,  you  can  believe,  my  friend,  that  it  will 
oome.  Carrizaray  is  not  scared  at  trifles. 
FhttboH,  ioto  the  boat,   be  quick,   wir,  uuleas 


you  choose  to  swim!      But,   my  fine  fellow, 
you  are  tired.     Come,  sir,  in  and  be  quick!'" 

"Everything  being  settled  to  the  general 
satisfaction,  with  oar  and  sail  we  returned  to 
the  Island  of  Montluc  Tower,  where  we 
counted,  I  Especially,  upon  enjoying  a  well- 
earned  repose.  But  this  repose  was  not  des 
tined  to  last  long,  as  you  shall  see  pre- 
sently. 

"Next  morning  at  five  o'clock,  Montluc, 
who  slept  in  the  room  next  mine,  and  whom 
I  had  heard  all  through  the  night  going  iu 
and  out,  giving  orders,  and  full  of  business, 
came  to  awaken  me  and  said: 

.  "  '  I  am  oflF,  my  boat  is  ready.     If  you  wish 
to  accompany  me,  get  up.' " 

"I  arose  and  followed  him.  Every  one 
in  the  house  wa^  already  astir.  Montluc  em- 
braced his  mother,  sister  and  Lucy.  Ha 
shook  hands  with  all  the  rest." 

The  mother  and  Lucy  were  a  little  pale, 
Mademoiselle  Athenais,  of  a  more  courag- 
eous fibre,  was  also  affected  but  not  with  fear. 
Chariot  wanted  to  follow  him. 

"Father  Fleury,  who  had  just  said  Mass 
for  him  and  for  the  succtss  of  his  journey, 
said: 

"  '  My  child,  God  is  with  you,  but  don't  ex- 
pose yourself  unnecessarily  I  Think  that  the 
colony  needs  your  strong  arm.' 

"At  the  same  time  he  imparted  to  him  the 
benediction  and  we  set  out  together  in  the 
same  boat,  which  was  laden  with  arms,  silver 
and  all  kinds  of  supplies. 

"A  smaller  boat  followed  to  take  me  back, 
for  I  was  to  be  absent  only  a  few  hours  from 
the  happy  island. 

"He  took  with  him  three  Canadians  and 
three  Algouquius  to  Quebec.  Old  Carrizaray 
and  Buffalo  were  alone  in  my  boat,  which 
they  sent  whizzing  along  the  lake  with  the 
speed  of  a  swan. 

"  Then  Montluc  made  me  sit  at  the  stem  of 
the  boat  and  gave  me  many  and  various  in- 
structions, assuring  me  that  he  should  return 
in  three  weeks  at  farthest,  and  that  he  put 
under  my  care  what  was  dearest  to  him 
in  the  world,  namely,  his  mother,  his  sister 
and  Lucy. 

"I  swore  by  all  that  was  posssible,  and 
with  all  sincerity,  you  may  well  beUeve,  that 
I  should  lay  down  my  Ufe  iu  their  defence — 
to  which  protestations  he  replied  with  a  smile  : 
'  It  is  very  fine  to  die  for  one's  friends,  but  it 
is  better  to  Uve  and  fight  for  them  ...  To 
have  an  ardent  love  of  life  and  a  lofty  con- 
tempt for  death,  is  what  we  should  all  aspire 
after  ...  I  believe  you  shall  not  be  killed, 
but  that  you  shall  score  up  many  heaps  of 
slain  savages.     For  your  reward,  I  hereby  in- 


.72 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


'MONTLUO   BIDDINO  FAREWELL   TO   KILDAKE. 


vite  you  to  my  marriage  which  will  come  off 
as  soon  a«  I  return.'  " 

"  '  Has  it  beeu  all  arranged?' " 

"'This  very  morning,  in  my  mother's 
presence.  MTio  conld  oppose  it  ?  My  father 
and  mother  desire  it.  So  does  Lucy,  and  as 
for  me,  I  should  seek  her  out  amid  a  hundred 
thousand  swords  1'"  ,  .  . 


"He  thought  a  moment  and  began  again 
"  '  However,  I  don't  set  out  now  with  my 
usual  hopefulness.  I  am  almost  in  a  melan- 
choly mood,  and  I  know  not  why.  It  is  not  my 
wont,  for  sadness  is  the  sister  of  faint-heart- 
edness  and  cowardice.  1  think,  however, 
that  some  misfortune  threatens  me,  or  rather, 
her.' " 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  CHAMPLAIN. 


" 'What  U it?'" 

'"Do  I  know?    And,  strange  enough  too, 
old  BnfFalo,  who  is  something  of  S  sorcerer 
or  at  least,  was  so  before  his  conversion  by 
Father  Fleury,  is  a  little  disturbed  like  my- 
self." 

' '  I  tried  to  laugh  down  this  presentment. 
But  Montluc  was  serious. 

"He  made  a  sign  to  the  old  savage,  who 
kept  in  our  wake,  to  come  into  our  boat  and 
6aid  to  him : 

"  '  Buffalo,  repeat  for  my  friend  Lord  Kil- 
daj.v,  what  you  told  me  this  morning.'" 

'.'  The  savage  collected  himself,  dropped  his 
hand  in  the  waters  of  Lake  Erie,  and  made 
eccentric  signs  opposite  the  four  points  of  the 
compass.  He  pronounced  some  cabalistic 
terms,  and  went  on  : 

"  'Montluc  le  Rouge,  mighty  chief." 

"'I  know  him." 

"' Invincible  chief."  -.,  ■  r  .. 

'"Next?" 

'"Threatened  with  a  great  misfortune." 

"  'Death  perhaps?"  inquired  Montluc. 

"'Not  death,"  said  Buffalo,  shaking  his 
head. 

"  '  Aworse  calamity.    Maid  with  pale  face." 

"'Well,  conclude." 

"  '  Will  be  the  cause  of  terrible  things." 

"'Who  is  the  girl  with  the  pale  face? 
There  are  only  two  in  my  father's  house. 
My  sister  and  Lucy.    .  .,-■■>    ■  ■  •>   i 

Is  it  my  sister?" 

'"Oh!  no!  cried  Buffalo,"  Athenais  always 
happy."  ,        ,      . 

'"Lucy,  then?"  ' 

"The  old  sorcerer  indicated  that  it  was  she. 

"'You  see,  Kildare I "  said  Montluc,  "you 
see,  or  rather  hear!" 

"  'This  old  savage  is  crazy,"  I  answered 
quite  low. 

"  '  Pale  Face,"  said  Buffalo  who  had  an  ear 
more  acute  than  a  European  has,  "high  no- 
biUty,  Uttle  wisdom,  light  head,  incautious 
tongue." 

"I  believe  he  would  have  said  much  more 
of  me,  to  take  revenge  for  my  incredulity,  if 
Montluc  had  not  made  a  sign  to  stop. 

"Dear  friend,  "he  added,  "what  disquiets 
me,  who  am  never  disturbed,  is  that  I  slept 
scarcely  an  hour  last  night  and  during  that 
short  sleep,  I  had  frightful  dreams.  I  arrived 
suddenly  from  a  distant  voyage  ...  My 
father's  house  had  disappeared.  My  father 
himself  was  I  know  not  where,  in  the  land  of 
spirits  ...  My  mother  and  sister  had  joined 
him,  and  Lucy,  carried  away  by  brigands, 
was  stretching  out  her  arms  to  me  in  the  dis. 
tance.  I  tried  to  rush  upon  them,  but  I  re- 
mained glued  to  where  I  stood  despite  my 


7!J 

efforts ;  and  they  were  fleeing  farther  and  far- 
ther  all  the  time." 

'"Bah!  a  dream.  You  must  have  Uun  on 
your  left  side  I'" 

'"  Indeed,  it  may  be  so;  but  these  intima- 
tions of  Buffalo,  who  has  the  same  presenti- 
ment too!  Really,  if  I  could  forget  it,  I 
should  not  go  away  this  morning.  I  would 
have  awaited  my  father's  return.  But  you, 
Kildaro,  watch  you  over  all  my  family  during 
my  father's  absence,  and  distrust  all  the  strat- 
agems of  the  EngUsh  and  the  savages  m  their 
fury.'" 

"  Ho  then  embraced  me  and  proceeded  on 
his  journey,  while  I  returned  to  Montluc 
Tower." 

"  The  ten  days  which  followed  were  among 
the  happiest  of  my  life.  Fishing,  hunting, 
walks  by  the  lake,  the  joy  of  seeing  my 
friends  and  especially  Mademoiselle  Montluc, 
the  cordial  and  generous  hospitality  of  this 
noble  family  who  almost  from  the  first  had 
became  my  own,  the  hope  I  was  beginning 
to  form  that  I  should  never  leave  it,  the  de- 
light I  felt  at  being  placed  there  as  a  sentinel 
to  watch  over  and  defend  them:  all  that 
plunged  me  in  a  sea  of  happiness. " 

"Father  Fleury  who,  in  the  absence  of 
old  Montluc  and  his  son,  appeared  to  direct 
the  whole  colony,  encouraged  me  in  projects 
which  I  did  not  yet  disclose,  but  which  it 
was  only  too  easy  to  divine." 

"  One  day,  as  we  were  seated  together  in 
a  boat,  for  I  made  my  regular  nightly  rounds 
on  the  lake,  around  the  island  and  three  or 
four  little  islets  which  were  two  or  three 
leagues  away,  he  interrupted  me  in  a  pane- 
gyric of  Mademoiselle  Athenais,  and  said:" 

"'My  lord,  you  are  right;  Mademoiselle 
Montluc  is  worthy  of  her  father,  her  mother 
and  her  brother,  and  you  would  have  great 
difficulty  to  find  her  equal  in  Europe  or 
America;  but,' he  added,  with  a  smile,  'sha 
has  one  great  fault.'"  ^v 

"I  protested  indignantly:"  ' 

'5 'She  I  a  fault!'"  •■•  '.  •         •-/; 

" '  Yes,  yes— a  great  fault,  my  lovd.' " 

' ' '  Impossible  1     She  is  only  too  perfect. '  " 

"  '  A  fault,  my  lord,  and  the  most  terrible 
that  can  exist;  that  which  ruined  Satan  and 
hurled  him  from  high  heaven  into  the  bottom- 
less abysses  of  hell — pride ! ' " 

"  Here  I  began  to  grow  troubled." 

' '  Father  Fleury  added : " 

"  '  And  it  is  a  pride  that  nothing  can  eradi- 
cate,  for  it  is  hereditary.  Her  mother,  Mad- 
ame Montluc,  whom  you  behold  hero  re- 
spected by  all  as  if  she  were  Queen  of  France 
and  savage  land,  was  just  like  Athenais  when 
she  was  the  same  age.    She  had  the  pride  of 


f4 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  OHAMPLAIN. 


the  danghter  of  Samnel  Gbamplain,  the 
founder  of  the  colony,  and  of  the  grand- 
daoghter  of  the  great  chief  of  the  Eries,  who 
probably  were  the  firnt  iubabitantH  of  Canada. 
Onr  princeBseB  of  the  royal  blood  of  France, 
which  is  indeed  the  noblest  in  the  universe 
next  to  that  of  the  GhinoHe  ernpreHHen,  would 
have  received  at  her  hands  only  the  salutatio!} 

of  an  equal     And  yet ' " 

"  As  I  laughed,  he  added  :" 
**  'I  often  said  to  her,  when  she  was  a 
yonng   girl,  that  she  would  never   find  the 
hero  she  dreamed  of,  for  she  dreamed  of  a 
hero  for  her  husband.'" 

•••Ah!  but  Providence,  who  does  every- 
thing well,  had  His  views  about  her,  sent 
to  Canada,  Montluo,  who  from  the  first 
won  the  affections  Mid  admiration  of  the 
French  and  savages  so  entirely  that  she  clearly 
saw  her  fate  had  come,  and  she  married  him  '" 
"I  then  asked,  but  rather  carelessly,  and 
from  the  pleasure  of  talking  than  any  curios- 
ity I  had:" 

*•  'She  has  not  repented  her  choice,  I  sup- 
pose?'" 

«" Repented  1'  said  Father  Fleury.  'My 
lord,  never  was  wife  prouder  of  husband  than 
she.  No  1  never  1  never  I  Never  had  wife 
so  much  love  for  a  husband!  She  has  but 
one  soul  with  him,  one  heart,  one  thought  I 
She  has  centred  in  him  her  joy  and  pride  at 
the  same  time  as  her  tenderness.  When  she 
was  young  she  was  with  him  everywhere,  at 
the  chase  and  even  in  battle.'  " 

"  I  cut  short  the  speech  of  Father  Fleury, 
who  was  never  done  praismg  Lady  Monthio, 
and  I  reach  his  conclusion,  which  was  that 
Mademoiselle  Athenais,  not  being  less  haughty 
than  her  mother  (and  perhaps  still  more  so, 
for  she  combined  in  one  the  pride  of  the 
MontlucB,  the  Champlains  and  the  Eries), 
would  never  wed  except  the  man  who,  to  win 
her,  should  have  performed  prodigies  of 
valor." 

"Thereupon,  perhaps  you  think.  Father, 
that  Gerald  Fitzgerald,  Earl  of  KUdare  grew 
disheartened  and  gave  up  all  hope  of  obtain- 
ing her  hand?  That  would  be  quite  a  mis- 
taken idea.  So  far  from  being  discouraged, 
I  was  filled  with  an  ardent  desire  to  show  her 
that  a  Fitzgerald  who  counts  among  his  an- 
cestors, kings,  was  capable  of  anything,  and  I 
swore  iu  my  soul  to  deserve  her  or  perish  in 
the  attempt. 

"And  you  will  presently  see  that  I  was  very 
near  doing  both  at  the  same  time.  Montluo 
le  Rouge,  who  was  there,  will  be  able  to  say 
what  h»  thinks  of  it." 


"  You  may  well  conceive  that  the  words  of 
Father  Fleury,  who  read  my  soul  as  he  would 
an  open^book,  yet  did  not  boast  of  the  gift, 
plunged  me  into  a  deep  silent  meditation. 
While  he  was  reciting  his  breviary,  looking 
upwards  at  the  stars,  and  our  boat  borne 
along  by  a  favorable  wind,  was  conveying  ua 
almost  without  effort,  to  Montluo  Tower,  I, 
all  df  a  sudden,  saw  a  bright  light,  like  the 
beacon  of  a  light-house,  on  the  top  of  the  high- 
est tower  which  overlooked  the  lake.  Divers 
signals  followed  in  succession,  like  warnings 
to  hasten  back,  and  without  suggesting  a 
present  danger,  showed  that  something 
strange  had  just  taken  place." 

"  A  hundred  feet  from  the  there,  old  Buf- 
falo,  always  a  sentry,  cried  out  to  us:" 

'"Yankees!  Yankees!'  The  name  of  the 
English  as  the  savages  pronounce  it." 

' '  I  was  very  much  surprised  and  asked 
through  my  speaking  trumpet :" 
"  '  Friends  or  enemies?' " 
"Buffalo did  not  answer;  bo  I  began  to  be 
sensibly  disturbed.  I  took  my  gun,  already 
loaded,  and  approached  the  shore  where  the 
first  figure  I  perceived  was  that  of  an  EngUsh 
officer  in  full  uniform,  who  addressed  me  in 
good  French :" 

"  '  We  aj«  friends.  Earl  of  Kildare,'" 
' '  And  as  he  saw  I  feared  a  knave,  he  added:" 
"' You  may  believe  me.  lam  the  Gover- 
nor  of  Massachusetts.  A  treaty  has  been 
concluded  between  us  preparatory  to  a  defin- 
itive peace,  and  I  have  come  to  pay 
a  visit  to  the  Baron  of  Montluo  and  his 
lady,  and  also  to  make  the  acquaintance  of 
my  cousin.  Miss  Lucy  Carroll.'" 

"This  speech  which  informed  me  of  many 
things  in  very  few  words,  one  of  which  the 
most  singular,  although  the  easiest  to  com- 
prebend,  was  that  Miss  Lucy,  the  betrothed 
of  Montluo  le  Rouge,  was  niece  of  the  very 
Governor  of  the  English  province  of  Massa- 
chusetts, redoubled  the  astonishment  into 
which  all  these  incidents  and  the  conversation 
of  Father  Fleury  had  plunged  me." 

"  I  went  ashore  with  Father  Fleury.  I  left 
the  task  of  mooring  to  the  two  Algonquius 
who  had  steered  for  us  and  shook  hands  with 
our  unknown  guest,  the  Governor,  who 
in  my  absence  had  arrived  and  installed  him- 
self in  tie  Castle  of  Montluc." 

"But  as  I  was  pointing  out  to  the  English- 
man the  road  to  the  Castle,  old  Buffalo  caught 
7aie  hastily  by  tha  hand  and  said  :" 
' '  •  Beware !  beware ! ' " 
"I  turned  around  to  interrogate  him,  but 
he  had  vanished." 


THE  0HIEFTAIN8  OP  OHAMPLAIN. 


7« 


CHAPTER  XVIl. 

EOW      IfADKHOIBILLK     MONTLTJO     SUBDTTMD    AN 
UUK,    AND   WHAT   FOLLOWKD. 

Lord  Kildare  oontiQuing  his  story,  said: 

"Now  I  will  tell  you  why  I  had  reoHon  to 
remember  the  elk  hunt:  Whilo  Chariot  waH 
firing  at  his  elk,  Mademoiselle  AthenaiH  had 
fired  at  hers.  Chariot  broke  an  antler,  Mad- 
•moiHelle  Atheuaia  wounded  a  Hhoulder. 
As  Chariot's  elk  was  sovagely  springing  upon 
him,  that  of  Mademoiselle  was  furiously 
rushing  upon  us— I  say  us,  for  Ithrew  myself 
before  Mademoiselle  to  defend  her  more 
easily.  The  elk  came  plunging  along  with 
angry  bellowings,  like  that  of  a  bull.  But, 
thank  Qod  his  bellowings  and  rage  were  not 
enough  to  disturb  me. " 

♦•Accordingly,  without  any  faltering,  I 
took  Mademoiselle  by  the  hand,  and  placed 
her  behind  an  immense  tree  which  threw  its 
shade  over  the  scene  of  the  combat.  Then, 
kneeling  on  one  knee,  I  awaited  the  charge, 
and  covering  with  my  rifle  the  foe,  now  not 
more  than  tweuty  feet  distant,  I  pulled  the 
trigger." 

"  I  have  a  steady  nerve.  Father,  and  an  ex- 
cellent aim,  for  I  have  never  tired  myself  out 
reading  Greek  and  Roman  authors,  or  works 
treating  on  Geometry;  I  am,  thank  heaven, 
abundantly  endowed  with  presence  of  mind; 
as  a  shot  with  the  rifle,  leaving  out  Montluc 
le  Rouge  and  two  or  three  other  of  my  Cana- 
dian acquaintances.  I  have  met  no  superiors, 
few  equals;  then  I  was  not  distracted  by  any 
thought,  save  that  of  rescuing  Mademoiselle 
Montluc.  The  form  of  the  foe,  as  you  are 
pleased  to  call  him,  was  of  splendid  dimen- 
sions, with  almost  the  shape  and  color  of  a 
grand  Norman  steed;  you  must  then  think  that 
with  my  rifle  on  my  shoulder,  my  finger  on 
the  trigger,  and  several  seconds  infinite  care, 
taking  aim  at  an  object  not  twenty  feet  dis- 
tant, I  must  have  killed  him  at  the  first  shot, 
or  at  least  severely  wounded  him.  No  such 
thing." 

' '  I  pulled  the  trigger.  It  snapped  fire,  and 
of  course,  did  not  go  oflf.  At  the  very  mo- 
ment I  was  about  to  fire,  or  rather  half  a 
second  previously,  a  mysterious  drop  of 
water  fell  into  the  pan,  dampened  the  pow- 
der and  completely  disarmed  me.  My  rifle 
was  now  no  more  than  a  stick,  to  be  sure  it 
was  longer,  heavier,  dearer  and  clumsier  than 
an  ordinary  stick,  but  it  was  just  as  httle 
adapted  to  protect  me  against  the  elk." 

"  The  elk  came  rushing  on,  quite  unaware 
of  my  mishap.  Quick  as  the  thunder-bolt  he 
Bwept  down  upon  me,  and  to  avoid  the  shock 
I  threw  myself  flat  oa  th^  ground.     He  re- 


turned again.  I  avoidfld  him  again  and  In  the 
same  fashion.  I  have  no  doubt  that  he  be- 
lieved me  the  cause  of  his  wounds  and  sought 
revenge.  I  did  not  like  to  undeceive  bin. 
Was  I  not  too  happy  to  turn  upon  myself  tb« 
rage  of  this  ferocious  animal  ?" 

"This  little  strategy  to  avoid  the  brunt  of 
the  attack — for  my  rifle  being  now  only  a  use- 
less piece  of  furniture — engaged  both  of  ns 
for  some  minutes  which  seemed  the  toughest 
of  my  hfe.  To  fire  on  the  elk  was  iinpoHsi- 
ble.  To  seize  the  animal  round  the  body  like 
a  bear  and  stab  him  in  the  grasp  was  even 
more  impossible,  for  the  animal  was  of  very 
unusual  figure.  Fancy  a  man  trying  to  hold 
in  his  arms  and  smother  a  great  Norman 
horse  I  Madness,  is  it  not  ?  Well,  sir,  I  had 
no  other  resource  to  extricate  myself  from  my 
dangerous  situation." 

"To  be  frank,  I  was  happy  to  be  able  to 
give  my  life  for  Mademoiselle  Montluc;  but, 
frankly  also,  I  would  have  been  still  more 
happier  to  preserve  it  for  her,  and  unfortu- 
nately I  was  afraid  I  had  the  choice  no 
longer." 

"  It  was  at  this  moment  that  Mademoiselle 
Montluc  all  at  once  conceived  an  idea,  to 
which  1  owe  my  Ufe,  and  which  finished  th» 
combat.  But  before  explaining  this  idea  and 
the  success  which  concerned  it,  I  must  give 
you  a  brief  description  of  the  ground.  You 
may  judge  if  I  was  at  my  ease. " 

"In  the  centre  of  the  thicket  where  we 
were  both  struggling — the  elk  and  myself — 
there  was  a  magnificent  oak  tree,  from  whose 
roots  sprang  four  immense  trunks,  or,  rather, 
four  bulky  trees  between  which,  a  man  of 
ordinary  size  could  easily  slip  and  shelter 
himself  from  the  elk's  horns.  I  wheeled 
round  the  oak  and  entered  this  open  space 
whither  the  elk,  blinded  by  his  fury,  and 
wishing  at  any  price  to  kill  me,  tried  to  fol- 
low, but  he  got  entangled  by  the  horns  so  that 
he  could  get  only  one  of  them  through  with 
difiSculty.  I  had  anticipated  him,  and  avoid- 
ed the  charge  by  going  out  at  the  opposite 
opening." 

"The  fearless  beast  wished  then  to  re- 
lease himself,  but  as  it  often  happens  to  us 
when  we  try  to  unravel  a  skein  of  tangled 
thread,  he  embarrassed  himself  only  the  more. 
His  second  antler  got  fastened  in  another 
trunk,  and  he  stood  motionless,  yet  tossing 
and  shaking  his  head  like  a  madman.  He 
bowed  his  h-'ad;  he  raised  it;  he  struck  with 
his  head  a  third  trunk  which  was  in  front  of 
him  and  prevented  hia  going  forward,  as  the 
others  hindered  him  from  going  back;  iu  one 
word  he  was  a  prisoner,  and  that  was  pre- 
cisely  what  I  had  been  hoping  for." 


7B 


;.    THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  OHAMPLAIN. 


don't  fibeI 


"I  cried  ont  to  Mademoiselle  Montluc, 
who  had  just  re-loaded  her  rifle,  to  lend  me  it 
a  moment,  for  I  was  quite  sure  of  being  able 
to  fire  close  upon  him  before  he  could  get  out 
of  the  scrape.  She  passed  it  over  to  me.  But 
at  the  very  moment  I  was  about  to  fire,  she 
stood  face  to  face  with  the  elk,  and  the  poor 
beast,  beholding  Mademoiselle  Athenais,  be- 
gan to  wail  BO  pathetically  that  she  was 
touched  by  it,  aod  cried  out  quickly,  while  I 


was  putting  my  finger  on  the  trigger:  'Don't 
fire !  The  poor  animal  has  a  look  so  sorrowful 
and  appealing;  look  at  his  beautiful  eyes,  as 
they  appeal  to  me  for  mercy !' " 

"  I  paused;  and  while  the  elk  was  still  toss- 
ing about  impatiently,  but  still  unable  to 
change  his  position,  Mademoiselle  Montluc 
carressed  and  stroked  him  down  like  a  pet  dog. 

"That  lasted  ^or  a  few  minutes.  For 
greater  security  I  kept  holding  on  to  the  right 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  CHAMPLAIN. 


?t 


Hitler  with  all  my  Rtrength.  Bnt  thin  ponl- 
tion  waa  very  painftU,  and  the  elk  might 
eHoapfl  And  flee  away  any  moment,  or  even  re- 
nm  again.  Accordingly  it  was  iici  <  HHary  to 
comn  to  Home  determination  at  oncf. 

*'I  took  off  my  necktie,  which  luckily  wan 
very  long  and  pretty  Htrong.  I  made  a  run- 
ning knot,  which  I  paHHod  around  the  antler 
and  tied  it  to  one  of  the  HtoutoHt  bruuchttg  of 
tho  tree.  MailomoiHolle  AthcnaiH  did  the 
Biime  with  her  Bcarf  and  attached  the  other 
antler  in  the  name  way." 

•'  We  had  been  8o  far  victors  certainly;  but 
we  were  rather  uneasy  and  did  nof  know  what 
to  do  with  our  spoils,  when  we  suddenly 
heard  something  or  somebody  who  rushed 
upon  us  at  full  speed.  It  was  our  friend, 
Phoebus,  the  best  and  most  intelligent  of 
dogs,  who,  upon  seeing  Chariot  all  safe,  came 
to  see  about  Athenais,  and,  if  necessary,  help 
us." 

"  But  his  zeal  was  very  near  causing  us 
trouble,  for  the  elk,  seeing  this  new  foe 
arrive,  made  a  terrible  effort  to  release  him- 
self, and  with  his  forepaws  beat  the  earth 
furiously.  Then  Mademoiselle  made  a  sign 
with  her  hand  to  Fhcebus  to  keep  quiet. 
For  more  seouriiy  she  took  him  by  the  col- 
lar with  one  hand,  and  threatening  him  with 
the  other,  but  in  a  friendly  admonishing  way. " 

'•  'Phcebus,'  she  said,  *be  wise  I  Look  me 
in  the  face  I  Try  to  understand  1  Here  is  a 
friend  whom  I  have  conquered,  with  my  Lord 
Kildare's  assistance.  And  now  I  think  of  it, 
Phoebus,  I  want  you  always  to  love  Lord  Kil- 
dare  for  my  sake.  He  saved  my  life,  while 
you  were  with  Chariot  scouring  the  forest, 
want  you  to  thank  him.'  " 

"Upon  my  faith,  I  think  the  dog  under- 
tood  this  little  speech  from  beginning  to 
end,  for,  before  I  could  thank  Mademoiselle 
for  her  kind  words,  Phoebus  was  licking  or, 
as  she  said,  kissing  my  hands  and  gambolling 
around  me  to  show  his  joy  and  gratitude  for 
the  service  I  had  rendered  his  mistress." 

"Their  waa  a  long  silence,  during  which 
ModemoiBelle  took  care  of  the  poor  elk.  She 
ffether  pocket  handkerchief  in  the  water  of  a 
stream  hard  by,  and  bathed  his  wound,  which, 
luckily,  was  not  serious.  The  bullet  had 
broken  no  bone,  but  merely  passing  through 
the  skin  twice  dropped  a  short  distance  from 
08.  Indeed,  she  tended  him  as  a  nurse  does 
an  infant;  staunched  the  blood  and  removed 
the  necktie,  which  was  keeping  his  head  too 
high." 

"  A  new  sound  was  heard  in  the  forest, 
and  I  presently  saw  Chariot,  who  had  scarcely 
came  out  of  Lake  Erie,  rush  again  into  the 
forest  to  search  for  his  sister." 


"  For  further  caution,  Monilno  le  Rouge 
and  the  two  sons  of  Carrizivray  followH<l  hiiu 
at  the  top  of  their  speed,  skimming  the  snow 
with  their  snow  shoos." 

''Montluo  beheld  our  elk  taken  and  tied  to 
the  tree,  and  congratulated  us  upon  our  dex- 
terity. He  commended  his  sister  for  not 
suffering  me  to  kill  the  poor  animal." 

"  As  the  reward  of  my  courage  and  address, 
I  had  the  honor  and  happiness  of  walking  be- 
side Mademoiselle  Montluc,  which  was  more 
to  me  than  the  conquest  of  a  province  iu  the 
country  of  the  I'urks.  I  thought  so  at  least, 
and  my  belief  would  have  been  approved  by 
every  gentleman  who  could  have  stfon  the 
charming  damsel,  who,  for  beauty,  graoe,  wit 
and  attractions,  has  scarcely  an  equal  iu  the 
wide  world." 

"Unhappily,  among  so  many  fine  qualities 
which  would  awaken  the  jealousy  of  twenty 
crowned  queens  and  forty  princesses  in  their 
own  sight,  she  has  a  slight  defect — if  that  can 
be  called  a  defect,  or  fault,  which  is  an  addi- 
tional charm.  Besides  it  is  the  fault  of  her 
race.  In  two  words:  she  lives  to  command, 
and  it  is  therefore  that  I  am  here  against  my 
inclinations,  I  aKsure  you,  greatly  as  your 
generous  and  cordial  hospitality  has  touched 
my  heart.  Yes,  it  is  no  fault  of  mine  that  I 
have  re-crossed  the  Atlantic  with  Montluc  le 
Kouge;  it  is  because  she  so  commanded,  and 
I  could  do  no  less  than  obey.  Know  that 
next  to  the  pleasure  of  commanding  those  we 
do  not  love,  there  is  nothing  more  delightful 
than  to  obey  those  whom  we  love. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

LOBD    EILDABE  HAS  AN    IMPOBTAMT  OOMVEBSA- 
TION  WITH  THEOOVBBNOB  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

' '  I  had  great  confidence, "  continued  Mon- 
sieur  de  Kildare,  "in  Buffalo's  instinct  which 
was  akin  to  genius,  and  Montluo  le  Rouge 
had  always  impressed  upon  me  the  fact  that 
the  aged  savage  was  a  half  wizard  or  sorcer- 
er. Accordingly  I  narrowly  watched  the  un- 
expected guest  of  Montluc  Tower." 

"He  was  a  large,  robust  looking  gentleman, 
red  as  a  brick  in  the  face  from  underdone 
roast  beef  and  whiskey,  of  which  he  imbibed 
large  quantities.  His  black  hair  was  thick, 
his  limbs  strong,  his  eyes  gray,  bold  and  re- 
morseless. He  had  an  air  of  respectability, 
that  is  to  say,  as  they  understand  the  term  in 
England,  an  appearance  of  wealth  and  self- 
complacency.  You  could  see  at  a  glance  that 
he  was  no  borrower  or  lender  of  money;  but 
that  he  was  ready  to  give  or  lend  his  friends 
all  sorts  of  other  things  more  precious  than 
silver  or  gold,  though  generally  less  esteemed 


m 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


by  people;  I  mean  sound  advice  and  moral 
exhortations." 

' '  In  two  words,  the  respectable  gentleman 
had  the  appearance  of  a  rich,  healthy,  power- 
ful, somewhat  avariciouB  man.  ThcHe  qual- 
ities are,  as  you  know,  often  found  united, 
•wealth  and  avarice  CKpecially,  which  are 
Bcarcely  ever  separated  and  seem  to  loan  on 
one  another  like  beloved  sisters." 

"  Tlie  Goverr'^r  began  to  walk  by  my  side 
and  explain  the  motives  of  his  journey.  Be 
good  enough  to  listen  attentively  to  this  part 
of  my  story,  Father,  1  am  sure  it  will  interest 
you.     I  shall  not  alter  a  word  of  it. " 

'"Itis  to  theEarlof  Kildare  I  have  the 
honor  of  speaking  ?'  he  inquired." 

'"To  himself,  sir,'  I  repUed.  Then,  after 
a  pause:  'But  you  must  have  known  that 
alreaily,  for  only  just  a  moment  ago  you  ad- 
dressed me  by  v\y  name  V  " 

"'My  loid,"  he  replied,  gravely,  'it  is 
never  wrong  to  be  very  cautious.'" 

' '  I  looked  at  him,  and  in  the  glare  of  the 
torches  which  were  lighting  our  path,  the 
Canadians  who  bore  them,  and  the  meaning 
of  his  Biuile,  I  recognized  that  the  gentleman's 
appearance  was  in  keeping  with  his  words. 
Evidently  he  was  afraid  of  compromising  his 
busiuess  and  plans  by  explaining  them  at 
hazard  and  to  the  first  comer." 

'"First,  Sir,'  I  asked,  'can  you  explain 
■what  brings  you  into  this  country  and  islaiul, 
and  hdw  it  has  happened  that  you  were  not 
welcomed  with  powder  and  shot  r"  " 

"He  looked  at  me  with  a  smile,  and 
answered :" 

"  'My  lord,  we  were  received  in  that  fash- 
ion and  every  one  of  my  retinue  has  been 
fatally  shot.  But  then,  without  responding 
we  hoiiitcd  the  white  flag  of  parley,  and  Mon- 
sieur Can-izaray,  an  old  white-haired  gentle- 
tlemau,  who  appears  to  connnaud  in  your 
place,  suspended  the  fire  and  signed  us  to  ap- 
proach. We  assured  him  that  we  came  to 
bring  peace  and  harmony,  and  when  he  de- 
manded our  arms  we  wilUngly  surrendered 
them  to  remove  all  grounds  of  H»easiness.  He 
begged  us  to  await  your  return  so  that  we 
might  together  enter  the  castle  and  be  pre- 
.setited  to  Madame  de  Montluc' " 

"  'But,  Governor,  who  can  have prsTniled 
npou  you  to  come  to  visit  us  in  tiire  of  war, 
in  the  garb  of  a  friend,  at  the  risk  of  being 
shot  like  your  followers?'  " 

' ' '  My  conscience, '  he  answered. " 

"I  began  to  think  ho  was  a  little  crazy,  and 
I  behevo  he  suspected  my  thought,  for  he 
went  on:" 

"  'Ye«,  my  conscience!  But  first  of  all, 
my  lord,  permit  me  to  inform  you  that  I  pro- 


posed to  Monsieur  de  Frontenao,  Governor  of 
Quebec  and  New  France,  an  eight  day's 
treaty  for  upper  Canada,  from  Montreal  to 
the  western  borders  of  Lake  Superior,  and 
that  ho  has  accepted  my  proposal. '  " 

"'Strange!'" 

"  And  Buffalo's  whisper  came  back  to  my 
mind:   '  Treachery ! ' " 

"  '  My  business  is  this:'  resumed  the  Gov- 
ernor. '  In  the  first  place  the  war  between 
the  King  of  France  and  the  King  of  Enghiud 
is  very  nearly  finished.  Our  young  readers 
must  not  regard  all  Lord  Kildare's  state- 
meuts  as  strictly  historical.  Peace  will 
be  concluded  in  the  spring.  Hence, 
it  would  be  folly  for  us  to  fight  in  the 
snow  and  frost  while  our  reflective  and  re- 
spected sovereigns,  the  one  in  London,  the 
other  in  Versailles,  with  their  feet  on  the  fen- 
der, are  calmly  conferring  like  lawyers  to 
asoertain  if  such  a  province,  which  makes  no 
return  except  reports  of  skirmishes,  belongs 
to  one  or  the  other.  So  as  they  are  going  to 
consult  instead  of  fight  in  Europe,  let  us  lay 
aside  our  arms !     What  do  you  say  ?' " 

' '  I  confess  that  he  had  the  appearance  of  a 
reasonable  man,  and  that  his  reasoning  was 
that  of  a  sensible  one.     But  I  still  doubted." 

"He  went  on:" 

' ' '  Why  I  have  come  here  and  to  the  house 
of    Monsieur  de  Montluc  rather  than  < 
where.     Ah!  there  comes  in  my  concern;   or, 
if  you  pie'  cr  it,  that  of  my  conscience.'  " 

"  And  as  I  seemed  astonished  at  his  refus- 
ing  confidence  in  me  without  knowing  me,  he 
added: 

"  'I  know  you,  my  Lord  Kildare,  and  I 
shall  soon  need  your  good  services,  only  hear 
my  history.  You  are  more  interested  your- 
self in  it  than  you  think.'  " 

"  He  paused  a  moment  and  then  asked:" 

"  '  Do  you  not  know  my  name  ?' " 

"I  ponder  the  question  in  my  turn,  and 
then  a  vague  memory  of  things  long  since 
forgotten  comes  back  to  me." 

' '  '  You  are  Sir  Richard  Carroll,  of  Carroll 
Castle  in  Ireland;  is  not  that  so ?'" 

"  'The  very  person,'  he  replied." 

"'Your  grandfather  was  a  Catholic  and 
land  owner  in  County  Mayo ?'" 

"'Yes.'" 

' ' '  Your  father  was  his  younger  son?' " 

"'True.'" 

"  '  In  Oliver  Cromwell's  time,  your  grand- 
father's head  was  cut  off  for  fighting  for  our 
holy  re'igion?' " 

"  '  Yes.  OUver  Cromwell  was  without  pity 
and  spared  none  of  his  enemies.' " 

"Here  I  hesitated  a  Uttle,  from  a  sense  of 
politeness.  Sir  Richard  begged  me  to  go  on." 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


Tl» 


"tbeachkbxI" 


"Then  your  father,  Beeing  that  the  im- 
miiufle  estates  of  tlie  family  were  about  to  be 
CO  ifiBcated,  hastened  to  be  converted  to  Pro- 
t<>stamsm,  and  was  put  by  Cromwel!  into 
Carroll  Castle  and  all  the  paternal  property, 
Mill  the  Btuarts  who  were  refitored  later  on, 
ia''<s  never  thought  of  doing  justice  to  the 
eldest  brother  of  your  uncle." 

"  Sir  Bichard  Carroll  looked  at  me  fixedly, 
and  said  with  his  impassible  air: 

"My  Lord  Kildare,  you  are  right     How 


do  you  know  all  these  details?' " 

"  'In  ibe  simplest  way  in  the  world,  ftut 
I  don't  know  that  I  ought  in  a  time  of 
truce.' " 

•'It  was  hard  to  say  it,  but  the  baronet, 
with  emotion,  made  me  a  gestur*.  to  speak 
freely." 

"'Hundreds  of  times  I  have  heard  your 
father  called  by  one  of  the  two  names:  Car- 
roll the  Traitor,  or  Carroll  the  Apostate.' " 

"Although  this  was  a  bitter  pill,  hard  <• 


80 


THE  CHmFTAIKfl  OP  CHAMPLAIN. 


swallow,  harder  to  digest,  he  made  a  motion 
that  I  wau  riijlit,  and  that  indeed  it  was  after 
thiH  fashion  they  tjpoke  of  his  fnther  in  Mayo. 
He  merely  added,  doubtless  to  justify  the 
memory  of  the  old  baronet:" 

*♦  "Tis  true,  my  lord,  that  disagreeable 
mmors  were  circulated  about  my  father  at 
the  time  of  his  conversion.  It  is  true,  too, 
that  his  enemies  related  that  he  had  suc- 
cumbed to  the  desire  of  possessing  the  im- 
mense fortune  of  his  father  and  despoiling 
his  eldest  brother,  the  lawful  heir,  Well,  my 
lord,  if  even  this  report  were  true,  instead 
of  being  a  contemptible  lie,  don't  you  think 
it  was  better  by  a  conversion  feigned  or  sin- 
cere, to  keep  in  the  family  immense  estates 
than  leave  them  in  the  hands  of  the  grasping 
soldiers  of  Cromwell?' " 

"He  paused  and  said:" 

"  '^^^lat  do  you  say,  my  lord?' " 

"I  Kmiply  ajiswered:" 

'"He  should  have  kept  Carroll  CJastle  and 
tirsc^pon  the  Cromwellian  soldiers.'" 

"Then  Sir  Richard  went  on:" 

"  'Sly  father  did  better.  When  his  fath- 
er's domains  had  been  confiscated,  he  became 
a  convert  to  the  new  doctrines;  he  procured 
the  restoration  of  his  paternal  estates,  while 
his  eldest  brother,  always  faithful  to  the  Stu- 
arts, who  cared  very  little  about  him,  was 
forced  to  take  refuge  at  first  in  France,  then 
in  Massachusetts,  where,  in  1G80,  he  perished 
in  an  invasion  of  savages  and  Canadians,  who 
took  him  for  an  Englishman  and  slew  him 
with  •>!!  his  family,  except  a  httle  girl  two 
years  old,  my  first  cousin  Lucy,  who  was 
adopted  by  Baron  de  Montluc' " 

"  'So  MiBS  Carroll  is  your  cousin?' " 

'"Yes."' 

"'Who  told  you?"' 

"'My  father,  he  whom  you  have  heard 
culled  Carroll  the  Traitor,  Carroll  the  Apos- 
tate but  who  never  forgot  his  brother.' " 

"'My  uncle,  proscribed  in  England 
and  Ireland,  forced  to  flee  to  Massachusetts, 
and  work  with  his  hands  for  a  Uving ;  more- 
over,  indignant  at  what  he  regarded  as  his 
brother's  treachery,  took  good  care  to  keep 
the  fact  of  his  existence  a  dead  letter.'  " 

"  *  Hidden  in  the  forests,  occupied  build- 
ing a  wooden  house — his  log-cabir  —and  in 
securing  it  against  the  attacks  of  the  savages, 
(you  Bee  he  was  always  nnluc\y);  certain 
likewise  that  the  Stuarts  would  nover  do  him 
justice,  he  took  no  interest  in  what  happened 
in  England  or  Ireland.  Meanwhile  my  father 
became  a  baronet  and  a  respecter  of  English 
law  and  the  decrees  of  Cromwell— and  after 
all,  the  decrees  of  the  Usurper  were  better 
than  those  of  the  lawful  kings.' " 


"  'You  think  so?'"  I  interrupted. 

"  'A  little  later  on,  thanks  to  the  favor  of 
King  William,'  he  continued,  'I  was  made 
Governor  of  Massachusetts,  and  by  a  strange 
chance  which  it  would  be  too  long  to  describe 
in  detail,  I  learned  that  Miss  Lucy  was  my 
cousin,  own  child  of  Sir  Henry  Carroll,  my 
uncle,  and  his  sole  heir  '  " 

"And  as  I  gazed  upon  him  with  astonish- 
ment, awaiting  the  conclusion  of  his  story, 
he  remarked:" 

"  'And  it  is  to  obey  the  last  wishes  of  my 
father  and  my  own  conscience  that  I  have 
come  here.' " 

' '  I  asked :  '  What  do  you  intend  to  do  ?' " 

"  'Introduce  myself  to  my  cousin,  in  the 
first  place.  For  the  rest,  I  shall  be  guided  by 
circumstances.'  " 

' '  I  observed :  '  Doubtless  you  wish  to  make 
restitution?' " 

'"No.     .     .     ."' 

"  I  involuntarily  placed  my  Land  on  the  hilt 
of  my  sword." 

" '  I  have  nothing  to  restore.' " 

"And  then?" 

"'Then  .  .  .  then  .  .  .  OUver 
Cromwell's  decrees  are  immutable  as  those  of 
Providence  itself,  and  the  property  that  great 
man  gave  to  my  father  could  noi  be  taken 
from  him  or  his  lawful  heirs  without  a  forcible 
violation  of  ^11  laws,  human  and  divine  .  .  . 
but    .    .    .'" 

"But   .    .    ." 

"  '  But  there  is  perhaps  a  way  to  restore  to 
Lucy  the  wealth  of  which  a  rigorous  decree, 
I  avow,  has  despoiled  her  to  the  advantage  of 
my  father  and  myself.'  " 

'"What  means?'"  '  ' 

"I  pretended  te  have  no  suspicion.  In 
reality  I  guessed  his  reply. " 

"He  said  with  a  lofty,  dogmatic  air:" 

"  *My  Lord,  have  you  read  the  Bible?'" 

"  '  Seldom,  Sir  Richard,'  " 

"  'Do  you  know  it  is  said  somewhere  in 
Genesis,  I  think,  that  between  husband  and 
wife  everything  should  be  common.'  " 

"  '  I  was  ignorant  of  that,  Sir  Richard.  But 
even  if  that  were  so,  what  do  you  uaderstand 
by  it  ?     What  do  you  mean  ?' " 

"  '  I  mean  that  Lucy  Carroll  is  not  married, 
and  that  I  am  not  married. ' " 

"  '  And  that  a  lawful  marriage  will  merge  the 
rights  of  two  branches  of  the  Carroll  family. 
Is  not  that  it  ?'  " 

"'Perfectly  conceived  I  Do  you  see  any 
obstacle?'" 

' '  Then  I  thought  of  my  friend  Moutluo  le 
Rouge,  o';cupied  in  Quebec  with  the  affairs  of 
the  colony,  who  had  entrusted  to  me  the  de- 
fence of  his  family  and  of  his  interests." 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  CHAMPLAIN. 


81 


"I  said  to  Sir  Bichard:  'Monsieur,  your 
project  is  excellent  and  wise.  To  restore  and 
at  the  same  time  keep  the  goods  of  another  is 
admirable  work,  or  rather  a  master-stroke  of 
policy.  It  is  awarding  justice  with  interest. 
Ako,  I  am  sure  Miss  Lucy  would  bo  enchanted 
by  your  proposal,  if    .     ,     ." 

"  I  paused.     Ho  asked:" 

"  '  If  she  were  not  already  betrothed  to  my 
friend,  Louis  do  Moutluc:'" 

■'At  this  news  Sir  Richard  cried  out :" 

**  'Montluc  lo  Rouge.'" 

"Yes,  Monsieur." 

" 'That  barbarian?'" 

"  I  bowed.     You  flatter  my  friend." 

' ' '  That  red-skin !    that  cannibal '  " 

"  He  would  have  said  more  depreciatory  of 
his  rival,  but  I  saw  Chariot  coming  at  a  race 
toward  me,  and  I  made  a  sign  to  be  silent  if 
he  did  not  wish  to  get  into  a  quarrel ;  for  the 
boy  was  not  of  a  disposition  to  suffer  his 
brother  to  be  insulted  in  his  absence,  and 
there  were  plenty  of  Canadians  and  savages 
on  the  island  who  would  not  have  asked  better 
sport  then  scalping  his  Excellency,  Sir  Rich- 
ard Carroll,  Governor  of  Massachusetts." 

"The  baronet  iinderstood  my  gesture,  and 
kept  silent." 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

A      BPT     IN     TOWKB      MONTLUO — SIB      BIOHABD 
CABROLL   BETIRES. 

"Upon  joining  US,"  Lord  Kidare  contin- 
ued, ' '  Chariot  shook  my  hand  warmly, 
American  fashion,  and  said:" 

"  '  Ah  I  Gerald  I  my  dear  friend !  How  I 
longed  to  see  yon  1  I  have  so  much  to  tell 
you.  We  have  had  a  great  deal  of  news  in 
your  absence.  We  have  had  a  friend  call 
upon  us,  who  says  he  is  a  cousin  of  Lucy's.' " 

"Then,  noticing  Sir  Richard,  who  was 
keeping  a  little  out  of  the  way,  he  recognized 
him  and  added:" 

"'Yes,  there  he  is,  Sir  Richard  Carroll, 
why  don't  you  come  here?  One  would 
think  you  were  hiding  I  Don't  be  so  retiring! 
They  are  making  supper  for  you  inside.  How 
did  you  find  the  fishing  and  huntings  Gerald  ? 
Good?    Eh?'" 

"I  pointed  at  some  wild  duck  slung  across 
the  shoulders  of  one  of  our  Algonquins." 

"The  boy  then  chattered  away:" 

"  'Sir  Richard  brings  good  news.  A 
treaty  is  concluded  and  peace  is  to  follow 
speedily.  My  father  and  brother  are  goiag 
to  return,  and  Lucy  will  bo  married  in  less 
than  a  fortnight.  She  is  greatly  pleased,  and 
so  are  we  all,  mother,  myself  and  sister 
Atheuais.     We  shall  dance  for  three  weeks. 


I  have  already  invited  three  hundred  Algon- 
quins with  Uieir  squaws,  and  I  am  counting 
upon  Iroquois  and  Hurons.  If  necessary,  I  shall 
go  after  the  Patagouiaus  to  South  Amerioa.'" 

"We  were  thus  far  in  the  description  of 
Chariot's  plans,  when  we  arrived  in  front  of 
the  Castle,  which  stands,  as  I  believe  I  Lave 
explained,  on  one  side  upon  a  lofty  cliff  of 
perpendicular  granite,  which  sentinel-like, 
looks  down  upon  Lake  Erie,  while  on  the 
other,  it  commands  a  gently  sloping  plain,  a 
distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  league." 

"The  draw-bridge,  as  in  time  of  war,  was 
lowered  to  receive  us.  Sir  Richard  appeared 
surprised  at  this  display  of  vigilance,  and  re- 
marked upon  it  pretty  audibly. " 

"  Old  Carrizaray,  who  was  there,  sword  iu 
hand  and  pistol  in  his  belt,  to  receive  us, 
answered  as  i*  to  a  question." 

"  'English  Lord,  while  Baron  Montluc  and 
his  son  are  not  on  this  island,  and  the  Etirl  of 
Kildar-:  is  out  hunting  or  fishing,  I,  who  rep- 
resent tbem  here,  shall  suffer  no  one  to  enter 
without  demanding  his  name,  his  anus  and 
his  passport.  .  .  .  And  if  any  one  does  not 
like  that  ..." 

' '  bir  Richard,  seeing  that  the  old  Basque 
was  waxing  wrathy,  answerec':" 

"  '  I  am  quite  satisfied  with  your  rule.'" 

"  '  Well,  BO  much  the  bettor,'  rejoined  Car- 
rizaray, '  because  it  would  be  all  the  same 
anyhow.     You  should  have  to  submit  to  it.'" 

"The  old  Basfiue  was  plainly  no  better 
pleased  than  Buffalo  at  the  Englishmau's 
visit 

' '  To  soften  his  ill-hnmor,  I  made  a  sign  to 
Sir  Richard  to  precede  me,  and  drawing  Car- 
rizaray aside,  asked  bin:" 

"  '  What  has  happened  this  evening?'" 

"•Scarcely  anything.  We  killed  an  Eng- 
lishman, that's  all.'" 

' ' '  But  you  appear  in  bad  sorts,  Carri- 
zaray ?' " 

'"Yesl  indeed  1  but  not  because  wo 
killed  an  Englishman.  Why  did  he  come 
here  without  permission  in  time  of  war  ?' " 

"'Well?'" 

"  *  But  it  is  on  account  of  the  man  we  hav« 
opened  our  gates  to." " 

"  'Then  he  should  not  have  been  re. 
ceived.'" 

'" True,  my  lord;  but  when  he  displayed 
the  fls.g  of  truce  and  made  all  kinds  of  sign* 
that  he  came  as  a  friend,  we  could  not  pre- 
vent fiis  entering.  He  shouted:  '  Great  news! 
pe-^ce  1  p'jace  1 '  and  did  not  return  our  fire. 
Then  Madame  Montluc,  who  is  good,  said:'* 

'"Don't  fire,  Carrizaray!'" 

'"I  replied'" 

' ' '  Madame,  iu  Lord  Kildare'a  absence,  I 


83 


THE  (!HIKH'AINH  Ol'  (JIIAMPLAIN. 


am  auswerable  for  you.  What  would  the 
I{;ir(juHny  if  lie  loiiriunl  that  in  tiiuo  of  war 
Iho  Ku^jlish  wore  oiiablod  to  visit  thiHlHlund?'  " 

"  '  She  answered  :'" 

"  'diirrizaray,  you  shall  not  bo  accountable.'" 

' ' '  You  knoM(5  Lord  Kildaro,  that  Madaino 
flio  IJaronesH  is  clothed  withaiuhnrity  in  such 
iiiattors.  .  .  .  Finally,  I  procured  her  consent 
io  Bend  my  two  sons  to  the  Enf^lishinan  who 
showed  his  passjiorts — but  what  ^ood  was 
tliivty  The  poor  boys  never  learned  to  read, 
any  Mons  than  myself.'" 

' '  The  elder,  however,  who  is  no  fool,  de- 
manihid  the  Englishman's  i)aj)ers  and  took 
them  to  MaiLime  Montluc  who  is  a  scholar. 
She  said  i'ir  Hichard  was  reguLir;  that  there 
was  a  tnico;  that  Lord  Montluc,  the  Governor 
of  (iuebee,  had  attached  his  name  and  seal 
to  the  paper,  in  fine,  that  all  the  necessary 
f.trniations  appeared  on  the  face  of  the  pass- 
ports. So  I  permitted  the  Enj.;lishmiin  and  his 
retinue  to  enter.  But  for  in-ocautiou  I  have 
taken  their  rifles  and  i)istols — for  no  one 
knows  wliiit  may  hai)])('n."' 

"  '  Why  do  you  suspect  the  party,  Can-i- 
zaray,    when,  their    papoi-s    are    regular?'" 

"'Ah!  there  it  is.  They  are  more  than 
twenty,  and  their  appearances  don't  please 
uie.     But  there's  a  coat!     Look!'" 

"'Where?'" 

"  'There,  my  lord.'" 

"Just  then  wo  saw  coming  towards  us  a 
man,  of  a  forbidding  miim,  who  wore  a  big 
wig  and  walked  with  a  curious,  searching 
ftlanco  which  lie  cast  from  right  to  left  as  if 
he  were  counting  the  stones  in  the  walls  or 
a'iipraising  the  price  of  Montluc  Tower  with 
rt  view  to  pur(Oiasing  it." 

"I  was  quito  astonished  at  the  sight  of 
this  man,  Iliad  Been  him  before,  but  where 
I  could  not  tell.     Yet  I  believed  I  knew  him." 

"When  ho  perceived  that  I  was  attentively 
regarding  him,  and  that  (Jarrizaray  was 
pointing  him  out  with  his  finger,  he  rocog- 
ui/ed  me  without  doubt,  for  ho  turned  on  his 
lict  1  and  walked  back." 

"  '  V/lio  is  he?'  I  asked  the  old  Basque." 

"  '  The  major  domo  of  Kir  Hichard,  accord- 
ing to  their  joint  story;  for,  so  far  as  I  am 
coacemed,  I  distrust  both  Governor  and 
major  domo.     This  one  is  a  me-o  spy!*"    • 

"This  terra  and  the  wig  opened  my  eyes  at 
once,  I  remembered;  it  was  tho  German 
Kronmark  whom  our  good  friend,  Pied-de- 
Cerf,  tlio  Algonquin,  had  so  deftly  saUped  at 
tho  Fort." 

"  Accordingly  I  said  to  Carrizaray:" 

"  '  Koep  au  eye  on  him.     Ho  is  a  Hpy,' " 

' ' '  You  are  sure  of  that,  my  lord?' " 

"'VeryBuru.'" 


"And  I  related  to  him  tho  history  of  Kron- 
mark.  Carrizaray  reilectod a  minute  and  said:" 

"  'If  he  is  a  spy,  we  have  only  one  thing 
to  do.'" 

"'What?'" 

"'Putas'ono  round  his  neck  and  drown 
him.'" 

"That  was  exacitly  my  opinion.  But,  if 
Sir  Kichard  had  come  in  the  faith  of  any  trea- 
ties, it  was  rather  hard  to  drown  his  major 
domo  like  a  miserable  <log." 

"  Hence,  i  opposed  Carrizaray's  resolution 
am?  was  contentiul  with  admonishing  him  to 
bo  very  watchful." 

"'Oh!  as  far  as  that  goes,  my  lord!  My- 
self and  liuiTalo  sleep  with  one  eye  open;  if 
the  German,  this  Kronmark,  tho  rascal 
should  try  to  play  any  of  his  games  on  u-i,  in 
less  than  a  minute  ho  would  find  himself 
dead.'" 

"  And  he  would  have  done  as  ho  said,  for 
the  (jld  JJasque  had  a  quick  wit  and  a  quicker 
hai'd  despite  his  years;  and  as  to  scrnpio,  he 
had  some,  it  is  true;,  but  not  in  regard  to 
spins,  or  traitors,  as  ho  said  himself." 

"Having  again  cautioned  great  vigilance, 
I  entered  tho  largo  castle  -here;,  wlua'o  suj). 
per  was  laid  out,  Madame  Montluc  and  Mad- 
emoiselle Athenais  awaited  us,  with  Miss 
Lucy." 

"  Tho  Englishman  was  enjoying  their  com- 
pany. Chariot  was  moving  about  uneasily, 
always  having  a  great  app(dit(!,  as  his  fatluif 
would  say,  and  jjarticularly  on  Bueh  a  day 
and  at  such  an  hour,  for  tho  orrival  of  the 
Englishman  and  tho  various  little  incidents 
of  the  afternoon  had  delayed  supper." 

"  What  occasioned  still  more  delay  was  the 
absence  of  Fathi^r  Floury,  who  had  come 
home  at  the  samotinio  asl  had  but  by  another 
path,  ho  Boomed  to  bo  in  no  hurry  to  leave 
his  room!" 

"  They  wont  after  him  Boveral  times.  Ho 
said  nothing,  except  that  ho  was  coming  down, 
but  was  detained  looking  for  something." 

"  No  one,  save  the  baron  himself,  being  held 
in  higher  respect  in  tho  household,  and  indeed 
in  all  Canada,  they  waited  patiently,  for  tlie 
good  priest  must  have  unknown  but  strong 
reasons  for  not  using  greater  expedition,  ai"' 
the  more  bo  (an  observation  I  made  later)  as 
when  leaving  tho  boat  he  avoided  meeting 
Sir  Kichard." 

"At  length  ho  did  come  down,  but  last  of 
all,  holding  in  his  hand  a  bag  or  wallet  which 
contained  all  sorts  of  papers— ^tlio  character 
of  which  it  womd  bo  hard  to  guess." 

"  Madame  Montluc  advanced  to  meet  him 
with  h(!r  usual  grace  and  majet;ty,  and  pre- 
'  seated  Sir  Bichard  to  him." 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


8,'! 


'BON    VOYAGE.' 


"TIo  rospcctfnlly  bowod  to  tho  Futber, 
and  Kiiid  ho  wiih  very  liaijpy  to  know  a  nmii, 
whoKe  reputation  for  knowler'}.^  and  holimiKH 
had  boon  ho  long  eRtahliHluul  in  New  Franco 
and  p''">i  in  tho  EngliHh  colonioH." 

"Tho  apfod  prioHt  regarded  him  with  oyeR 
which  wore  j'ontle,  yet  piereing,  and  replicid 
to  the  couipliiuentR:" 


"  'I  have  tho  honor  also  of  slightly  know- 
ing  your  Excnllonoy,  Sir  Ilichard,  for  in  my 
young  days  I  was  iiitiniiitely  acquainted  with 
Hir  Edward  Carroll  of  Carroll  Castle,  Ireland, 
your  grandfather.  Ho  was  a  zealous  Cath- 
olic, sir,  and  a  martyr  who  shed  his  blood  for 
tho  faith  of  his  an'.^estors.'  " 

"  tiir  Kichard  bit  his  lip  at  this  compliment.'* 


04 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  CHAMPLAIN. 


"  In  the  moantime  we  had  taken  our  places 
at  the  table." 

' '  We  were  silent  during  the  earlier  part  of 
tlio  Bupper,  for  in  the  first  place,  all  the  com- 
]iiiiiy  had  good  appetites  and  besides  we  were 
n-.vuiting  with  curiosity  the  explanation  of 
Sir  Ilichard's  strange  journey." 

"  Indeed  everyone  was  embarrassed.  The 
suspicions  of  old  Buffalo  and  Father  Fleury 
had  worked  upon  me.  Although  it  had  been 
2)roved  by  documentary  evidence  and  genuine 
signatures  that  the  treaty  had  been  made,  I 
began  to  fear  some  snare ! " 

'  'At  length  wo  rose  from  the  table,  and  sat 
in  the  balcony  which  overhung  the  chff  and 
Lake  Erie,  and  his  Excellency  having  no  one 
save  Montluc's  family.  Father  Fleury  and  my- 
self to  hear  him,  related  what  he  had  already 
told  me  and  added  that  he  came  for  Miss 
Lucy  to  take  her  back  with  him  to  Boston, 
restore  the  inheritance  of  her  father  and  if 
she  pleased  marry  her." 

"To  be  sure,  the  one  would  not  go  with- 
out the  other,  for  just  as  he  had  lAken  pains 
to  repeat  it  several  times,  if  his  conscience 
admonished  restitution,  his  interest  prompted 
him  to  keep  it,  and  he  should  steer  a  fair 
middle  course  between  his  duty  and  his 
interest." 

' '  Madame  Montluc  and  Mademoiselle  Ath- 
enais  said  nothing.  Miss  Lucy  listened  at- 
tentively." 

"At  the  end,  she  broke  the  silence  and  in- 
quired :" 

" '  Sir  Bichard  Carroll  you  are  my  cousin?" ' 

"'Yes,  Miss  Lucy.'" 

"  '  And  you  will  not  make  restitution  imless 
on  condition  of  marrying  me,  that  is  to  say, 
keeping  all  ?'  "  .  .  . 

"  The  Englishman  seemed  embarrassed." 

"  'Your  silence  is  an  answer,'  she  said, 
*  Keep  all,  I  will  remain  here. '  " 

"At  these  words  Athena'is  embraced  her 
exclaiming :" 

" '  Dont  be  uneasy.  My  brother  will  give 
you  a  hundred  times  more.'  " 

"  Then  Father  Fleury  raised  his  voice  and 
said:" 

"  'Sir  Bichard  Carroll,  I  know  your  his- 
tory as  well  as  yourself.  It  is  not  to  restore, 
even  one-half,  the  estates  of  Miss  Lucy  you 
have  come  here;  it  is  because  you  are  aware 
that  her  uncle,  indignant  at  Boeing  her  de- 
spoiled of  everything  by  abominable  laws, 
has  bequeathed  to  her  large  estates  in  Kent, 
England,  of  which  she  is  not  to  take  posses- 
sion till  the  date  of  her  marriage.  It  is  not 
the  fortut  1  you  already  enjoy  that  brings 
you  here  it  is  the  other,  the  one  you  can 
fie  vflr  take .  ros  i  Lucy  except  by  marrying  her. " 


"This  unexpected  revelation  caused  th« 
Englishman  to  blush." 

"  'How  do  you  know  it?'  he  demanded." 

' '  Father  Fleury  began  to  laugh,  and  an- 
swered:" 

" '  Don't  I  know  everything  ?' " 

"  'Since  you  know  everything,"  rejoined 
Sir  Bichard,  "  I  have  nothing  more  to  do 
than  to  say  my  adieus  ,  .  .  Lucy,  you  see 
what  I  offer  you :  and  immense  fortune  com- 
posed of  two  inheritances.  I  am  also  Gover- 
nor of  Massachusetts,  which  is  equivalent  to 
a  vice  royalty  in  America. " 

" 'Sir,' said  Miss  Lucy,  as  we  all  escorted 
him  to  his  boat,  '  I  have  the  honor  to  bid  you 
adieu.  ...  If  you  please  to  restore  my 
father's  fortune,  I  shall  accept  it  joyfully.  If 
you  do  not,  I  shall  direct  my  future  husband, 
Lord  Montluc,  to  retake  it.'" 

"Then  Sir  Bichard  signed  to  his  boatmen 
to  take  the  oars,  and  remarked :" 

"  '  Miss  Lucy,  you  shall  repent  youi  impu- 
dent speech!'" 

"Every  one  shouted  to  him:" 

"  '  Bon  voyage!    Safe  passage.'  " 

"  The  moment  the  boat  got  into  the  open 
water  I  was  astonished  to  see  at  the  stern,  a 
strange  figure,  the  chin  and  almost  the  nose 
wrapped  in  a  red  woolen  muffler,  the  fore- 
head and  eyes  covered  with  a  shaggy  wig,  just 
Uke  a  merry  andrew." 

"  I  thought  I  had  seen  that  figure  some- 
where." 

"'But  where?'" 

"  All  at  once  old  Buffalo  touched  my  elbow, 
Jid  said  again:" 

' ' '  Treachery !  treachery ! '  " 

"  And  our  friend  Pied-de-Cerf  ynho  was  be- 
hind him  added:" 

' '  '  Lord  Kildare,  did  you  not  see  the  man 
with  the  wig  ?  I  recognized  him  at  once.  It 
was  Kronmark !'" 

'"Kronmark?"' 

' ' '  That  German  spy  I  scalped  at  the  Fort. '  " 

"'I  said  I  remembered  too;  and  had 
already  recognized  him.' " 

"Buffalo  remarked:" 

"  'That  man  prowled  around  all  the  even- 
ing. A  questioner — pale  face.  Bad  sign. 
He  who  never  questions,  don't  tell  him  every- 
thing.'" 

' "  But  what  did  he  ask,  Buffalo  ?' " 

"' Where  was  tlo  treasure  ?' " 

'"What  treasure?'" 

"  'The  treasure  of  Montluc,  taken  from  the 
Spaniards  forty  years  ago  by  the  Great  Black 
Bear.  Hidden  here  or  elsewhere.  No  one 
knows  except  old  Montluc,  his  son  and  old 
Buffalo.  When  the  three  die,  the  treasure  is 
lost  forever." 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


ur, 


*'  As  to  Father  Fleury,  he  only  said:" 
•' '  Be  vigilaut,  Lord  Kildare,  I  feel  we  are 
ou  the  eve  of  a  great  danger.     Perhaps  you 
were  wrong  in  suffering  Sir  Richard  Carroll 
to  depart. ' " 


CHAPTER  XX. 

BOW  LORD  KILDABI  AND  MONTLT70  LE  BOUQE 
ACCOMPMHHED  THXIB  MISSION — THE  PASTOR 
OF   OIMEL,    8U0CEEDH   KATHEU   rLEURY. 

Lord  Kildare  continued  his  story  as  fol- 
lows: 

"Two  days  after,  serious  news  reached 
our  happy  Island  of  Montluc  Tower.  Thin 
news,  or  rather  the  letter  containing  it,  was 
written  by  my  friend,  Montluc  lo  Rouge.  It 
fan  thus:" 

Quebec. 

"' My  Dear  Gerald — Whet  your  sword, 
gird  your  loins,  and  make  ready  to  start  with 
me  for  Europe.  You  will,  no  doubt,  inquire 
by  what  route;  for  the  Saint  Lawrence  has 
been  tiozen  these  two  days.  We  could  travel 
on  foot  from  here  to  Newfoundland  if  the 
onornious  ice-bergs,  that  are  ever  moving  and 
whose  sole  weight  would  crush  to  pieces  the 
largest  man-of-war,  t'id  not  render  such  trav- 
elling imposriible.'" 

' ' '  But  no  matter;  we  must  go  at  all  haz- 
ards. Lord  Frontenac,  the  Governor,  has 
entreated  me — adding  that,  if  I  refused,  New 
France,  attacked  on  all  sides  by  the  English 
and  the  savages,  and  without  provisions  of 
money,  must  succumb  to  her  foes.'  " 

'"This  is  true.  And  so  I  do  not  hesi- 
tate.'" 

"  '  But  I  want  a  companion,  a  King's  officer; 
for  a  Canadian  savage  like  me,  the  son,  more- 
over, of  an  ancient  rebel,  would  not  win  much 
favor  in  the  eyes  of  Louis  XIV.  I  saw  this 
at  once,  and  de  Frontenac  did  not  try  to 
cloak  it  either.  He  has  left  me  the  choice  of 
my  companion;  and  I  have  pitched  upon  you, 
Gerald.  There  are  twenty  chances  tp  one 
that  we  shall  perish  before  reaching  our 
destination;  but  I  saw  at  Hudson  what  you 
were  capable  of;  I  told  Lord  Frontenac,  and 
he  said:'" 

"♦That  is  the  man  I  want  The  Irish 
and  French  were  always  first  cousins;  and 
more  than  ten  years  ago  became  brothers. 
Do  prevail  upon  him  to  go.'" 

"  '  I  am  trying  to  do  so  now,  and  hope,  my 
dear  Kildare,  you  won't  disappoint  me.' " 

"'In  thrte  days  I  shall  be  at  Montluc 
Tower.  We  shall  depart  the  next  day,  for 
time  presses,  and  the  English  now  reconciled 
with  the  Iroquois  and  other   savages,  might 


invade  No^/  France  during  Winter.  In  such 
an  event  our  brave  Canadians  would  perish, 
borne  down  by  numbers. ' " 

' ' '  Affectionately,  Kildare,  yours, 

"'Montluc  le  Rouqe.'" 

"Montluc  arrived  five  days  later  at  the 
Castle.  He  had  made  a  detoir  of  twenty 
leagues  to  consult  his  father,  who  was  return- 
ing from  his  expedition  after  having  exchanged 
the  prisoners,  one  hundred  and  forty-three 
Canadians  for  five  hundi'cd  Englishmen  or 
Germans." 

"On  their  arrival,  we  held  council.  The 
whole  of  the  Montluc  family  was  admitted, 
including  Father  Fleury,  old  Buffalo  and 
myself." 

"Thiscovmcil  lasted  three  days,  of  which 
the  two  first  were  devoted  to  pubUc  interests, 
the  third  to  my  private  affairs." 

' '  In  other  words,  father,  it  was  decided, 
among  other  things  which  are  the  secrets  of 
de  Frontenac,  the  Lords  of  Montluc  and  King 
Louis  XIV.,  and  consequently  not  to  be  di- 
vulged— that  if  Mademoiselle  Athenais  did  not 
entertain  too  lively  a  regret  at  changing  hor 
name  to  that  of  Countess  of  Kildare,  we 
should  be  married  at  the  same  time  as  Mont- 
luc le  Rouge  and  Miss  Lucy.  Mademoiselle 
Athenais  was  good  enough  not  to  say  no. 
Madame  Montluc  consented  with  pleasure  (at 
least  she  said  8o\  the  old  baron,  her  father, 
said  that  my  conduct  in  Ireland  and  in  the 
attack  at  Fort  Hudson  gave  the  good  opinion 
that  this  marriage  would  be  alike  honorable 
to  France  and  Ireland.  Montluc  le  Rouge 
declared  he  looked  upon  me  as  a  brother,  and 
Carrizaray  and  his  sons  confirmed  the  re- 
murks  by  the  assurance  that  they  had  never 
seen  a  lord  such  a  '  bon  enfant '  as  I  was. 
Father  Fleury  added  a  single  word:  '  Go,  but 
return  speedily  if  you  wish  to  receive  my 
nuptial  benediction.'  And  really  at  ninety 
years  of  age,  however  robust  we  may  be,  we 
cannot  but  mistrust  the  future." 

"IshallBotgo  over  the  affecting  adieus 
next  day  of  every  one,  men  and  women, 
when  we  set  out  on  our  journey  by  way  of 
the  Mississippi,  accompanied  by  only  ten 
Canadians.  Enough  to  say  that  we  seemed 
to  be  carrying  away  the  hearts  of  the  colony." 

"Some  other  day  I  shall  relate  to  you  our 
adventures  on  this  great  river  still  so  Httle 
known,  and  yet  fed  by  fifty  navigable  rivers, 
the  smallest  of  which  is  wider  and  deeper 
than  the  Seine  at  Paris.  Fancy  a  valley  of 
at  least  six  hundred  leagues  almost  flat,  which 
drains  itself  completely  into  a  canal,  and  you 
see  Louisiana,  a  country  wherein  is  four  hun- 
dred  leagues  from  north  to  south,  seven  hun- 
dred from  east  to  west,  which  contains  almoHt 


80 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OP  CHAMPLAIN. 


two  hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred 
thouHHud  HdvageH,  iuiuicUHu  prairioH  upuu  the 
right  bunk  of  the  river,  deubo  foresta  ou  tlic 
left,  and  a«  luuch  game  as  all  the  rest  of  tlu; 
globe.  If  I  could  Bummou  thither  all  my 
poor  Iritih  countrymon,  aud  joiu  them  with 
the  Freuch,  who  already  poswsH  America 
from  the  St.  Lawrence  iu  the  North  to  the 
outlet  of  the  MiBHissippi  in  the  Bouth,  before 
two  huudn^d  yotirH  the  Ci  Us  of  Paris  and 
Dublin  would  bo  the  masters  of  the  earth, 
and  the  King  of  France  the  king  of  kings." 

"It  was  this  Bchtimo  that  old  LordMoutluc 
aud  Father  Fleury  unfolded  to  mo  and  charged 
me  to  repeat  to  the  ministerB  at  Versailles; 
but  the  wind  did  not  blow  that  way.  Neither 
Lord  Pontchartrain,  with  his  self-conceit,  nor 
Madame  do  Maiutenon  could  comprehend  it. 
They  were  absorbed  in  a  project  that  looked 
to  the  coiKiuust  of  some  little  town  iu  Fku- 
ders  or  ou  tho  Rhine,  and  they  were  willing 
in  order  to  accomphsh  it  to  sacrifice  three 
hundred  thousand  men  instead  of  giving 
homes  to  twelve  or  thirteen  thousand  on  the 
Mississippi,  who  should  become  the  fathers 
of  the  most  powerful  nation  iu  the  universe!" 

"Here  Lord  Kildare  paused  to  ask  me:" 

"  '  What  do  you  think  of  it  Father  ?' " 

"  To  which  I  modestly  answered:  'My  lord, 
1  think  you  are  right,  but  I  cannot  give  you 
any  assurances,  for  I  am  not  in  politics. ' " 

"  This  made  Lord  Kildare  laugh,  and  Beau- 
foil,  bolder  than  I  was,  said:  '  My  lord,  I  think, 
with  due  deference,  that  His  Majesty  lacks 
common  sense.' " 

"At  this  rather  uncivil  opinion,  Lord  Kil- 
dare laughed,  and  then  went  on. " 

"  Of  all  our  adventures  I  shall  relate  but 
one,  Father,  because  it  will  explain  how 
without  brig,  man-of-war,  frigate  or  money 
nor  even  merchant  vessel  in  our  service,  but 
on  the  contrary,  a  great  English  aud  Dutch 
fleet  to  bar  our  progress,  we  arrived  in 
France." 

"Hatchets,  rifles,  powder  and  ball,  pistols 
and  swords,  with  some  fishing  lines  composed 
our  ecpiipment,  except  three  or  four  barrels 
of  biscuit  and  smoked  salmon,  which  were 
our  sole  means  of  subsistence. " 

' '  Thus,  with  a  crew  of  ten  men,  not  includ- 
ing Moutluc  aud  myself,  wo  arrived  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  which  we  easily 
recognized,  for  tho  waters  of  the  Atlantic,  es- 
pecially about  there,  a/e  green  as  an  emerald, 
while  tho  river  is  of  the  hue  of  coffee  with 
milk  in  it." 

"The  Mississippi  becomes  so  swollen  in 
high  flood  time  that  you  cannot  see  one  bank 
from  the  other." 

"  Awived  there,  that  is  at  the  mouth  of  the 


river,  wo  held  council,  for  it  was  hard  to  ven- 
ture across  the  ocean  and  make  seven 
hundred  leagues  in  a  small  boat  adapted  to 
iukud  waters,  but  which  the  first  big  hvh  ou 
tho  Atlantic  would  fill  up  aud  founder  with  all 
tho  crew." 

' '  Accordingly  Montluc  lo  llouge  held  con- 
ference, or  rather  said:" 

"  '  We  have  no  time  to  lose.  It  is  the  15th 
ofJauuary.  We  nnist  reach  Fran<^o  in  two 
months  and  return  to  Quebec  by  the  20th  of 
May.     So  wo  must  set  out. ' " 

"  You  would  have  thought  to  hear  him 
speak,  that  wo  were  going  in  a  ferry  boat 
across  a  river  ten  feet  wide  and  six  deep." 

"I  iiKjuired:" 

"  '  Shall  we  go  in  this  boat  ?'" 

"  He  answered  without  showing  any  sur- 
prise:" 

"  '  Yes,  if  necessary.'  " 

' '  Aud  all  his  Canadians,  who  beUeved  him 
capable  of  anything,  applauded  the   reply." 

"He  added:" 

" 'But  it  is  unnecessary!  We  shall  pres- 
ently possess  a  splendid  vessel,  well-rigged, 
and  well-manned,  which  will  only  cost  us  the 
trouble  of  taking  it. '  " 

"  That  made  the  whole  crew  laugh." 

"I must  tell  you,  Father,  that  the  sea  of 
the  Antilles  belongs  almost  wholly  to  the 
EngUsh  and  Spaniards,  who  are  enemies  to 
the  King  of  France,  and  if  you  ojicept  two  or 
three  small  islands  which  belong  to  the 
French,  and  occupy  in  this  sea,  about  as 
much  space  as  two  or  three  sea-gulls  or  a  big 
lake.  His  Majesty's  •fficors  and  soldiers  have 
not  an  inch  of  ground  upon  which  to  raise 
tho  flag  of  France." 

"However,  as  uiy  friend  Montluc  appeared 
sanguine  of  success,  I  did  not  hesitate  to  fol- 
low him." 

"Almost  at  the  beginning  he  ascertained 
from  San  Domingo  buccaneers  who  prowl 
about  these  seas,  after  their  prey — the  gold- 
laden  Spanish  galleons— that  a  great  flotilla 
of  English,  Dutch  and  Spanish  vessels  were 
cruising  fifty  leagues  away,  and  were  making 
some  prizes  among  tho  French  merchantmen; 
but  were  specially  engaged  in  convoying  Span- 
ish galleons  to  Cadiz. " 

"At  this  news,  Montluc  said  to  me:" 

"  'Kildare,  am  I  not  unlucky  ?' " 

"'How.'" 

"  '  Because,  like  my  father,  I  should  carry 
away  one  of  these  galleons  right  under  the 
nose  of  tho  convoy,  but  if  I  try  I  shall  arrive 
too  late  in  Franco,  which  would  niin  tho  col- 
ony; or  (much  worse)  I  shall  not  arrive  at 
all.'" 

"'WeU?'" 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  CHAMrLAIN. 


81 


"'Well,  I  forego  *lio  eutorprise;  but  we 
must  biivo  Hoiiio  roward  for  our  abstiiiouco.'  " 
"  And  wo  did  hivvo  it.  Two  diiyH  Inter,  wo 
met  a  fiue,  larj^e  Dutch  morchautmnu  iuoviu(,' 
slowly  alouf^  liko  a  w«!iiltliy,  bi^,'-pauul•b*■d 
burf^her  ruturuiug  from  market  boruo  down 
with  Hupplies." 

"  The  poor  follows  having  no  BUspicionH  of 
danger  and  fancying  theniBelves  protected  by 
their  flec-t,  were  captured  at  night  by  the 
mere  act  of  boarding.  Am  they  had  no  arms 
we  did  not  harm  th(!m,  beyond  putting  them 
ashore  in  Louisiana,  and  warning  tiiem  to  bo 
on  the  look  out  for  the  savages  who  massa- 
cred every  stran|,'er.  Wo  also  left  them  three 
guns,  some  amnnition  and  provisions  for  two 
weeks.  After  this  mastor-sti'oko  we  sailed 
under  the  French  ilag  straight  down  upon  a 
frigate  which  was  as  trim  and  coquettish  as  a 
young  damsel — armed  withal  with  frrty  great 
cannon,  and  which,  perceiving  our  approach, 
bore  down  upon  us  and  at  the  first  sweep 
ran  alongside  of  us." 

' '  The  frigate—  we  already  knew  of  her 
from  the  report  of  the  San  Domingo  pirates, 
in  cousetpience  of  which  Montluehad  cast  his 
eyes  upon  her — was  called  the  Mouette,  and 
like  the  bird  whose  name  she  bore,  she 
skimmed  the  waters.  She  was  also  a  scent  or 
light-ship  for  the  great  cruising  Anglo-Dutch 
fleet." 

"The  first  move  of  the  Captain  of  the 
Mouette,  who  was  an  Englishman,  was  to  dis- 
charge a  cannon  at  us.  The  ball  shattered  a 
soup  tureen  on  deck  the  very  moment  the 
master  cook  had  come  to  pour  out  the  soup. 
To  tell  you  that  we  bore  this  mishap  in  silence 
would  be  to  lie  to  the  Eternal,  for  the  chief 
cook  was  a  fine,  big  Hollander,  who  knew,  as 
he  admitted  when  we  engaged  him,  but  two 
things  in  the  line  of  cookery,  that  is  to  make 
turtle  soup  and  sanr  kraut.  So  for  two  days 
we  had  nothing  else  in  the  way  of  dishes. 
But  as  the  turtle  soup  is  far  harder  to  get 
ready  than  the  Sauet  Kraut  it  is  impossible  to 
describe  the  rage  of  tlio  cook.  And  the  Cana- 
dians, who  had  lived  for  two  weeks  on  smoked 
salmon,  were  just  as  infuriated." 

"Montluo  remarked  to  us:" 

"  '  We  must  dine;  but  we  shall  have  a  bet- 
ter dinner  before  night.  Let  all  get  ready 
without  noise. ' " 

"Then  he  quietly  directed  the  manoeuvre 
which  was  to  obey  the  Englishman's  order, 
and  TWO.  our  big  merchantman  c'^se  alongside 
the  frigate." 

'  'AH  that,  without  saying  a  word  in  reply  to 
the  Captain  of  the  Mouette,  who  must  have 
believed  us  resigned  to  our  fate,  and  was 
himself  rejoicing  at  such  a  fine,  easy  prize." 


' '  But  scarcely  had  twenty  well-armed  Eng- 
lish sailors  boarded  us,  thinking  they  had 
merely  to  take  possession  of  tlia  merchant 
vessel,  than  Montluc,  who  till  thou  wore  a 
grieved  and  almost  despairing  countenance, 
cried  out,  'Forward,  boys.'  With  a  boun.l, 
ho  cleared  from  our  vessel  to  the  other,  whieU 
was  an  easy  task  for  the  hulls  were  tilose  to- 
gether." 

"We  all  followed  him,   boarding  hatchets 
in  one  hand,  double-barrelled  pistols  in  the 
other,  and  in  less  than  a  minute,  thanks  to 
the  confusion  of   the   English  wo  cut   down 
thirty  of  their  men.     In  the  hand  to   haml  . 
struggles  our    Canadians    have    no    equals. 
Their  hateh(!ls  fell  with  terrifying  rapidity  on 
the  heads  of  their  opponents.       The  blood  of 
the    wounded  splashed    on    our    garments. 
The  pistol  shots  did  wonders." 

"Luckily,  the  English  crew,  although  ten 
times  more  numerous  than  ours,  was  not 
keeping  watch.  Believing  that  he  was  deal- 
ing only  with  peaceable  merchants,  the  Cap- 
tain of  the  Mouette  had  taken  no  precautions, 
which  was  the  chief  cause  of  our  victory." 
"  That  and  something  else." 
"  While  the  Captain,  a  little  recovered  from 
his  surprise,  was  rallying  his  men,  and  gal- 
lantly defending  himself,  chance  threw  Mont- 
luc in  the  way  of  hearing,  in  the  middle  of 
the  bloody  conflict  and  crash  of  rifle  and  pis- 
tol, strange  cries  proceeding  from  betweeu- 
decks." 

"'Help!  help  1" 
"He  said  to  me:" 

" 'Kildare,  go  on  with  the  conflict  don't 
mind  me.  I  have  a  suspicion.  I  hear 
French  spoken  below. ' " 

"And,  beckoning  to  another  Canadian,  he 
forced  his  way  down  the  hatchway,  knocked 
down  two  sentinels,  broke  the"  door  open  and 
discovered  thirty  French  prisoners  who  were 
crying  as  loud  as  they  could,  to  make  them- 
selves heard  by  us." 

"  He  said  but  a  word  to  them:" 
"'Come!" 

"Fortunately  it  needed  no  more." 
"These  brave  fellows  followed  him  at 
once,  picking  up  every  sort  of  weapon  they 
could  And  on  the  decks,  hatchets,  pikes  hand- 
spikes, swords,  broken  doors  and  Montluc  iu 
front,  arrived  just  in  time  to  turn  the  tide  of 
battle  in  our  favor,  for  we  were  beginning  to 
give  way  to  numbers  and  the  Canadians  them- 
selves seeing  their  leader  no  longer,  beUeved 
him  dead  and  lost  hope  of  victorj'." 

"  But  when  he  re-appeared  with  a  new  and 
fiery  band,  the  face  of  the  combat  was 
changed.  The  Captain  of  the  Mouette  and 
his  ofi&cers  were  slain  with  more  tlir.u  fifty  of 


€8 


THE  CHIEFTAINS  OF  OHAMPLAIN. 


the  crew.    The  rcHt  Burrendered  and  wunt  ; 
down  betwocn  docks  to  fill  the  placeH  lately 
occupied  l)y  the  French  prisonorH." 

"Among  those,  one  especially,  Gandar,  the 
lUarNeilleu  Captain,  had  given  a  heroic  exam- 
ple. When  wo  were  maHters  of  the  Mourttf,, 
Monthic,  who  had  noticed  bis  conduct  in  the 
£ght,  asked  him  his  name:" 

"'I  am  Gandar,  the  former  owner  of  the 
Moiutte.     And  you  ?'  " 

"  '  I !  I  am  Moutluc  le  Rouge.  .  .  .  What 
were  you  doing  down  their?' " 

"'In  that  hold'  said  the  Marseillese,  'in 
that  cavern  ?  Well,  I  have  travelled  the  seas 
for  ten  years  for  uiy  own  profit  and  that  of 
the  King  of  France.  I  kill  his  enemies,  and 
give  him  silvoi  coins,  althouj^h  he  has  more 
money  than  I  have,  and  four  hundred  thous- 
and men  besides  me,  to  fight  his  enemies. 
But  I  am  generous,  'tis  my  disposition.  You 
don't  change  at  uiy  age — fifty  years — is  not 
that  BO  ?  In  two  words,  I  am  a  pirate;  and  I 
have  letters  from  His  Majesty  to  rundown  all 
those  who  are  not  willing  to  grant  that  the 
very  Christian  king  is  the  greatest  king  on 
earth.  .  .  .  Ten  years,  as  I  Imve  said,  I  have 
plied  this  trade  which  pays  well  and  furnishes 
a  fortune  for  my  little  one,  a  lad  I  shall  one 
day  show  you,  when  you  come  to  Marseilles, 
whose  mother,  my  poor  dear  dead  wife  was 
in  the  divys  of  her  life,  queen  of  one  of  the 
Islands  situated  between  Java  and  China.  .  . 
I  have  already  earned  more  than  nine  mil- 
lions, of  which  the  King  has  had  his  fifth,  to 
play  great  lord  at  Versailles,  and  my  crew  the 
half  to  encourage  them  in  well-doing.  And 
then — 

"  '  But  you  have  suffered  yourself  to  be 
taken,'  said  Montluc." 

"  'Ah  what  would  you  do  ?  We  are  not  al- 
ways in  hick,  was  cruising  here  last  month, 
in  search  of  some  merchantmen,  like  a  hunter 
after  his  game.  All  of  a  sudden  a  hurricane 
arose  which  lasted  three  days.  At  the  end  of 
the  third  day,  I  found  myself  without  know- 
ing it  in  the  middle  of  the  great  Anglo-Dutch 
fleet — one  against  fifty.  The  cowards!  They 
at ;  eked  me,  and  took  me.  And  then !  You 
ha  ve  saved  me !  You  look  like  a  good  fellow! 
And  when  you  shall  come  to  Marseilles,  I  shall 
welcome  you  more  heartily  than  the  King,  and 
show  you  the  boy.  If  you  are  not  pleased, 
you  will  surprise  me.  And  now,  between  us 
two  it  is  for  life !  for  death  !'" 

'  'Twas  thus  we  became  acquainted  with 
our  friend  Gandar." 

"  Thanks  to  him,  his  rescued  crew  and  his 
frigate  which  in  speed  beats  the  wind,  we 
reached  Havre  in  five  weeks  without  any  mis- 
bap." 


"'Where  shall  I  Await  you,' Mked  (}an< 
dar.'" 

"  'At  Bayonne,'  answered  Montluc.'" 

"  Gandar  again  to  sea.  We  went  to  Ver- 
sailles  whore  Lord  Pontuhartrain  the  Minister 
of  the  Marine  did  not  deign  to  receive  us;  but 
Montluc  le  llouge  unconcerned,  drew  out  of 
his  pocket  a  handful  of  Hpanish  doubloons, 
gave  them  to  the  usher  of  the  king's  anto> 
chamber  and  entered  the  waitmg-room  with 
me.  Upon  seeing  Louis  XIV.,  a  little  old 
man«  with  a  majestio  countenance  pass,  he 
advanced  and  said: 

"'Sire!'" 

' '  The  little  old  man  looked  at  him  with  an 
expression  of  astonishment." 

"  'Sire.'  continued  my  friend,  Montluc, 
who  is  not  the  son  of  old  Baron  Hannibal  for 
nothing  '  we  have  journeyed,  the  Earl  of  Kil- 
dare  and  myself,  three  thousand  leagues  in  a 
hostile  country  and  in  the  midst  of  the  Eng> 
lish  fleets  to  see  Your  Majesty  and  bring  you 
news  from  Canada. '  " 

"'Ah!'  said  the  King,  growing  attentive." 

"  'Well,  sire.  Lord  Pontchartrain  has  shut 
his  door  upon  us  as  if  we  had  come  to  ask 
alms.' " 

' '  His  Majesty  frowned." 

"  '  Who  are  you,  sir?' " 

"  '  Sire,  I  am  the  son  of  Baron  Hannibal  of 
Montluc,  who  has  fought  for  Your  Majesty 
for  fifty  years.  My  mother  is  the  daughter 
of  Samuel  Champlain,  who  has  given  you  a 
kingdom,  Now-France,  six  times,  larger  than 
this,  and  grand-daughter  of  the  great  Chief  of 
the  Savage  Eries.  I  am  Montluc  le  llouge, 
and  if  Your  Majesty  has  not  heard  of  me, 
your  enemies  know  me  and  often  saw  me 
sword  in  hand.'" 

"The  King  turned  to  an  usher  and  said:" 

'"Call  Lord  Pontchartrain.  You,  sir,  fol- 
low  me.'" 

"Then  he  inquired  my  name  and  appeared 
to  remember  me." 

"  'Your  father.  Count  Kildare,  was  a  brave 
gentleman;  he  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  the 
Boyne,  in  King  James'  service.  You  were 
wounded  yourself  in  my  service  at  Steinkerk. 
I  am  glad  to  see  you.'  " 

"For  Montluc  he  had  not  the  slightest 
compUment.  The  King,  who  is  spiteful, 
remembered  his  father  had  been  rebellious, 
and  discovered  in  the  son  ail  the  pride  of  the 
father." 

"Notwithstanding,  after  the  arrival  of 
Pontchartrain  and  the  perusal  of  the  de- 
spatches of  Lord  Frontenac,  his  majestio 
brow  cleared.  Lord  Frontenac  had  written 
such  an  eulogy  of  Montluc  and  his  exploits 
that  the  King  dismissed  him,  saying:" 


THE  CHIEPTAIKR  OF  CHAMPLAIN. 


"'Lord  Moutluc,  in  reoompooHe  of  your 
serviceR,  I  am  willing  to  forget  the  past  faultu 
of  your  father.'" 

"At  these  words,  Montluo  arose  indig- 
nant." 

"  '  Sire,  my  father  and  myself  regret  noth- 
ing, if  it  is  not  having  loHt  the  good  wishes  of 
Your  Majesty,  and  we  ask  nothing,  if  it  bo 
not  the  favor  of  shedding  our  blood  against 
the  enemies  of  France  and  retaining  a  prov- 
ince which  shall  ouo  day  become  the  greatcHt 
empire  in  the  universe.  My  friend,  Lord 
Kildare,  will  take  Your  Majesty's  orders  and 
load  the  troops  you  deign  to  send  to  Quebec. 
For  my  part,  I  take  my  leave.  It  is  too 
much  to  suffer  in  one  day  the  insolence  of  a 
Minister  and  the  favor  of  a  King.' " 

"Thus  having  spoken  he  left  the  room." 

"I  did  not  follow.  I  felt  I  must  mend 
matters.  I  already  heard  Fontchartraiu  sug- 
gest in  a  whisper  to  send  this  rebel  to  the 
fiastile.  Then  I  began  to  speak  and 
said:" 

"'Sire,  pardon  Lord  Montluc's  warmth. 
His  father  is  in  his  eyes  and  those  of  half 
the  Canadian  people,  the  defender  and  real 
bulwark  of  New-France.  Twenty  times  al- 
most alone  has  he  preserved  the  colony  with 
loss  of  his  own  money  and  blood.'" 

"And  indeed  I  urged  his  cause  with  all 
eloquence  of  friendship.  The  King  sent  for 
him,  and  said  graciously:" 

"  '  Lord  Savage,  son  of  a  rebel,  I  do  not 
pardon  you;  I  give  you  my  hand,  and  I  re- 
store to  your  father  all  his  goods  that  were 
confiscated  forty  years  ago.  Bay  to  him  that 
I  appreciate  your  services  and  his  own.  I 
know  that  at  all  times  and  even  when  he 
felt  coldly  to  Cardinal  Mazarin  he  valiantly 
defended,  sword  in  hand,  the  honor  and  the 
rights  of  the  French  crown.  Say  to  him  that 
I  r«store  him  my  friendship.  As  a  proof,  I 
confer  upon  you  the  order  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
which  is  conferred  upon  only  the  most  illus- 
trious and  bravest  gentleman  in  my  kingdom. 
Lord  Pontchartrain  is  about  to  equip  six 
vessels  of  troops  for  Canada.  Lord  Kildare, 
on  his  arrival,  will  take  command  of  the 
Royal-Ldsh,  vacant  since  the  death  of  the 
gallant  Lord  Sarsfield.  Lord  Kildare,  I 
make  you  Colonel,  and  charge  myself  with  the 
expenses  of  the  regiment.' " 

"  As  I  kissed  his  hand  to  thank  him  and 
take  my  leave,  he  added:" 

"  'Lord  Kildare,  if  you  prefer  to  stay  in 
France " 

"  T  declined.  He  appeared  astonished  and 
I   explained  my  motives  for  declining — the 


chiof  of  which  was  my  marriage  with  Made- 
moiselle Montluc." 

"His  Majesty  was  pleased  to  smile  and 
regretted  he  could  not  be  on  hand  to  sign  my 
marriage  contract." 

"Then,  as  my  friend  Montluo  bowed  re- 
spectfully to  leave  with  me,  the  King  deignod 
to  say:" 

"'Are  you  satisfied.  Lord  Savage,  Lord 
Montluc  le  Ilouge?' " 

"To  which  he  answeretl:" 

"'Sire,  I  expected  nothing  less  from  your 
justice  and  bounty. ' " 

"  'And,'  added  the  King,  who  escorted  us 
to  the  door  of  his  chamber,  in  sight  of  all 
the  Court,  '  I  desire  to  reconcile  you  to  Lord 
Pontchartrain.' " 

" 'Sire,' rejoined  Montluc,  'I  thank  you. 
It  is  unnecessary.  Lord  Pontchartrain  will 
be  my  friend  so  long  as  he  serves  Your  Ma- 
jesty faithfully.' " 

'  'Pontchartrain  winced,  and  the  King  smiled, 
saying:" 

"'Savage!'" 

' '  That  very  evening  we  set  out  with  his  in- 
structions signed  by  himself,  and  here  we 
are!" 

"  As  Lord  Kildare  finished  his  story,  Mont- 
luc le  Rouge  came  in  with  Phoebus." 

"  'We  must  go,  he  said,  I  have  examined 
the  road.  It  is  not  a  good  one,  but  we  have 
worse  in  Canada." 

"It  was  in  vain  that  I  pressed  him  to 
stay." 

"  '  My  dear  Cur^,'  he  said, '  you  have  shown 
me  such  splendid,  hearty  hospitaUty,  yourelf, 
Marian  and  Beaufoil,  that  I  shall  take  you  to 
Canada  all  three,  if  you  wish.  We  need  a 
good  pastor  to  console  us  for  the  approaching 
loss  of  Father  Fleury.     Will  you  corao  ?' " 

"To  my  great  surprise,  this  proposal 
appeared  to  please  every  one.  Beaufoil's 
mother  having  left  him  for  a  better  world,  he 
had  nothing  to  leave  behind  him,  and  he 
longed  for  adventures.  Marian  followed 
Beaufoil  as  his  shadow,  while  a  hundred 
times  a  day  storming  at  him.  As  to  myself,  I 
was  dreaming  of  the  exploits  of  Father  Fleurj' 
and  the  conversion  of  idolaters.  I  envied  the 
death  of  Saint  Ignatius  of  Antioch  and  many 
other  saints.  Indoed,  I  rather  liked  adven- 
tures, and  1  loved  to  see  new  lands." 

"  Hence  it  was,  that  nine  days  later  (in  the 
meantime  Montluc  le  Bouge  had  gone  to  take 
possession  of  the  old  Castle  of  Montluc,  for- 
merly confiscated,  but  now  restored)  I 
arrived  at  Bayenne,  which  Lord  Montluo  also 
reached  the  bame  time." 


c .    ;■ .  '.>' 


J  M        !•       .■-.''   ■■,>  «.•■  "'■ 


t.      .    ^     I   ' 


SWEET     REVENGE.    ' 


11. . '  ' 


"So  the  children  have  a  now  governess!"      ] 

"Yes — a  French  girl.  She  is  a  nice  little 
thing,  too;  but,  of  course,  there  is  no  saying 
how  long  she  may  stay.  Not  a  great  while,  I 
expect — she'll  be  a  startlingi  excerAion  to  a 
well-established  nile  if  she  does.  1  defy  any- 
one falling  far  short  of  angelic  perfection  to 
put  np  with  Connie's  temper  for  long  to- 
gether." 

"Oh,  I  say,  Will,  I  can't  stand  that,  yon 
know.  Yon  must  speak  respectfully  of  your 
sister  in  my  presence,  or  you  and  I  will  quar- 
rel." 

"All  right,  old  fellow,"  said  Will,  lazily. 
"I'll  be  as  mute  as  a  fish— if  you  like— it's 
too  hot  to  argue— and  I'm  far  too  much  ex- 
hausted to  point  out  that  I  had  just  paid  you 
a  delicate  compliment." 

"How?"  asked  Gordon  Letheby,  smiling  at 
the  idle  youth  before  him. 

"Why,  by  admitting  your  near  approacn 
to  perfection,  of  course.  You  have  managed 
to  get  on  with  Constance  for  a  considerable 
period.     May  it  continue,  that's  all  I  say." 

"Of  course  it  will.  When  does  she  come 
home?  In  her  last  letter  she  said  it  was  un- 
certain when  she  would  be  back,  but  I  quite 
expected  to  find  her  here  when  I  came 
down," 

"Or  else  you  wouldn't  have  come  down  I 
suppose,"  growled  Will.  "Well,  cJiacum  a 
son  gont.  Anyhow  I  hope  you  won't  run 
away  again.  My  sweet  sister  writes  that  she 
has  promised  to  stay  for  some  theatricals  or 
something  of  the  kind,  but  expects  to  be 
home  in  two  or  three  days.  Like  us  she 
didn't  think  you  would  be  back  from  Ger- 
many for  another  week." 

"I  finished  my  business  sooner  than  I  ex- 
pected, and  ran  down  unannounced,  being 
vain  enough  to  hope  I  might  give  you  all  a 
pleasant  surprise,"  said  Gordon,  with  a  little 
laugh. 

"So  you  have,"  said  Will,  heartily,  as  he 
rose  from  his  recumbent  position  on  the 
grass;  "and  I'm  precious  glad  Con  is  away, 
because  I  shall  perhaps  have  the  pleasur**  of 
seeing  something  of  you  this  time.  We'll 
have  a  jolly  long  day's  shooting  to-morrow, 
and  no  women  to  spoil  the  fun,  by  turning 
up  with  the  luncheon  baskets." 

"Well,  I'm  ashamed  of  youl  You're  a 
regular  young  misogynistJ" 


"Not  I.  I  like  some  women,"  replied 
Will,  with  lofty  tolerance.  "Women  hke  tluit, 
for  instance" — and  he  nodded  in  the  direction 
of  the  house,  approaching  which,  in  company 
with  three  robust,  rosy-cheeked  children, 
was  a  graceful  girl  of  about  nineteen  years 
of  age,  simply  but  elegantly  attired  in  a  dress 
of  some  cool-looking  grey  material." 

"The  new  gcvemess?"  qutried  Gordon. 

"Yes.  Come  along,  and  I'll  introduce  you. 
You'll  have  to  know  her,  staying  in  the  house 
— and  she's  a  perfect  lady — not  like  some  of 
them  we've  had." 

So,  in  a  few  minutes  the  two  young  men 
met  the  advancing  group,  and  Will  Markham 
presented  Gordon  Letheby  to  Mademoiselle 
Dovalle. 

The  young  Frenchwoman  raised  a  pair  of 
very  large  dark,  innocent-looking  eyes  to  the 
handsome  face  of  this  new  acquaintance, 
whose  great  height  caused  him  to  tower  far 
above  her  o\in  modest  proportions;  and  Gor- 
don told  himself  at  once  that  i*-.  v.  *3  not  won- 
derful  that  Will  liked  her,  for  the  sweet, 
truthful  exprerision  of  her  pretty  face  was  sin- 
gularly attractive — perhaps  because  its  frank 
simplicity  was  so  rare  in  the  days  when  af- 
fected "baby -stares"  on  the  one  hand,  and 
looks  of  almost  defiant  boldness  on  the  other, 
are  so  unhappily  common. 

They  chatted  on  the  terrace  for  a  short 
time,  the  children  clamoring  for  Gordon's 
recognition,  and  then  a  bell  gave  warning  of 
the  school-room  tea. 

"Will  you  give  us  a  cup  of  tea  this  after- 
noon. Mademoiselle?"  pleaded  Will.  "There's 
no  five  o'clock  tea  in  the  drawing-room  when 
Connie  is  away— and  I've  discovered  that  the 
governor  generally  finds  hie  way  to  the 
school-room  about  this  time." 

"Yes;  do  come,  both  of  you,"  broke  in  Ju- 
M».  without  giving  her  governess  time  to  re- 
ply. "Papa  often  does,  and  it  is  such  fun. 
Mam'selle  sings  to  us  after  tea  always." 

"May  we?"  asked  Gktrdon,  smiling. 

"Assuredly,  if  you  wish  it,  monsieur,"  re- 
pUed  the  governess,  politely;  and  they  all 
went  in  together. 

Mr.  Markham  was  a  widower  for  the  sec- 
ond time.  By  his  first  marriage  he  had  two 
ctdldren— Will  and  the  Constance,  of  whom 
frequent  mention  has  been  made,  an  exceed, 
ing  handsome  young  lady  of  imperious  dis- 


BWEET  EEVENGB. 


poBition,  and  a  considerable  fortane  in  her 
right,  nhe  having  been  made  the  sole  heiress 
of  a  childless  uncle.  Since  the  death  of  the 
second  Mrs.  Markham,  shortly  after  the  birth 
of  the  youngest  child,  the  whole  household 
had  been  under  the  supreme  rule  of  Miss 
Markham;  her  father,  an  elderly,  studious 
man,  constantly  engaged  in  scientifio  re- 
searches, having  gladly  placed  all  domestic 
power  and  authority  in  her  hands.  Will 
had  not  long  returned  from  college,  and  did 
not  agree  with  his  sister  quite  as  well  as 
would  have  bsen  desirable. 

They  made  a  merry  party  in  that  cool  old 
school-  room  that  afternoon ;  and  when  the 
children's  appetites  for  bread-and-butter  and 
fruit  had  been  appeased,  Mr.  Markham  called 
for  some  music,  and  the  time  sped  away  till 
the  dinner  hour  approached. 

"Don't  you  call  it  a  shame  ?"  said  Will  in- 
dignantly, as  the  three  gentlemen  assembled 
in  the  drawing  room.  To  exclude  a  lady  like 
Mademoiselle  Dovalle  from  our  table  at  late 
dinner?  I  call  it  an  insult — it's  treating  her  as 
if  she  were  a  servant.  I  Jmve  protested— but 
Con  declares  it  is  necessary  ;  so  that  the  poor 
girl  has  to  spend  her  evenings  alone  in  that 
dreary  school-room  after  the  children  go  to 
bed — at  least,  unless  Con  wants  some  one  to 
play  her  accompaniments  for  her,  when  she 
is  politely  asked  into  the  drawing-room  for 
half-an-hour." 

"It  is  usual,  I  believe.  Will,"  remarked  his 
father  mildly.  "At  any  rate,  i  have  no 
doubt  Mademoiselle  Dovalle  prefers  the 
present  arrangement  during  Constance's  ab- 
sence." 

Will  muttered  something  about  "gross  in- 
humanity" and  "unfeeling  disposition" — but 
as  he  was  known  to  be  a  youth  of  rather  ex- 
treme views  no  one  took  any  notice  of  him, 
and  they  adjourned  to  the  dining  room. 

Next  day  a  letter  came  from  Constance  say. 
ing  that  the  theatrical  entertainment  bad  been 
postponed  for  a  few  days,  but  that  she  hoped 
to  return  at  the  end  of  the  week  ;  and  that 
if  Gordon  should  arrive  ho  was  to  be  induced 
to  remain  and  await  her  coming. 

Will  was  a  lazy  fellow  and  had  a  very  pro- 
found antipathy  to  early  rising.  Not  as  Gor- 
don Letheby,  who  made  a  point,  when  in  the 
country,  of  being  up  with  the  lark  and  revel- 
ling in  solitary  enjoyment  of  the  first  sweet 
dewy  hours  of  day. 

It  chanced  that  Mademoiselle  Dovalle  was 
also  an  early  riser.  She  was  a  Catholic,  and 
a  devout  one  ;  and  every  morning  when  the 
weather  permitted  she  walked  half  a  mile  to 
the  ohapel  of  a  neighboring  convent,  where 
she  heard  Mass  at  seven  o'clock,  and  was 


back  in  ample  time  to  preside  at  the  children's 
breakfast  table.  This  Gordon  casually  dis- 
covered on  the  morning  after  his  arrival  at 
Fernwood ;  and  it  seemed  only  natural  that 
his  morning  stroll  should  afterwards  take  tbt) 
direction  of  the  convent  and  that  the  two 
should  walk  home  together. 

I  must  do  Gordon  the  justice  of  saying  that 
he  had  no  intention  of  acting  disloyally  at 
lirst.  He  was  much  attracted  by  this  mode.st 
and  refined  young  girl,  but  that  attraction  was 
merely  friendly,  he  thought.  Besides  it  was 
such  excellent  practice  for  him  in  speaking 
French  that  he  really  ought  not  to  neglect 
any  opportunity  of  doing  so.  For  this  rea- 
son doubtless,  although  Armando  Dovalle's 
English  was  exceedingly  good,  Gordon  always 
addressed  her  in  her  own  language — some- 
what to  Will's  annoyance,  it  must  bo  con- 
fessed, for  that  young  gentleman's  French 
was  decidedly  insular  in  expression  and  pro- 
nunciation, and  he  became  conscious  of  the 
fact  to  the  extent  of  mortification,  when  his 
sister's  ^wce  rattled  away  so  gaily  and  care- 
lessly. 

Gordon  Letheby  went  farther  than  he  in- 
tended. Carried  away  by  his  admiration  for 
Armande's  piety,  grace  and  simplicity  be 
plunged  into  wbat  he  called  "flirtation"— 
while  she,  innocent  soul,  vaguely  believed  it 
to  be  the  dawn  of  a  happy  and  honored  life, 
in  which  she  should  be  loved  and  cherished 
as  she  never  had  been  since  she  was  left  a 
lonely  orphan. 

One  afternoon,  Gordon  and  Will  had  joined 
Armando  and  her  pupils  in  the  wood  near  the 
house,  as  they  returned  from  shooting.  Will 
was  instantly  seized  upon  by  Alfred  and  his 
sisters  to  aid  them  in  discovering  the  abode  of 
a  squirrel,  which  had  eluded  their  efforts  to 
trace  it.  Armande  rose  from  her  mossy  seat 
to  follow  t^em. 

"Sit  aown,"  said  Gordon.  "Sit  down, 
Armande.  The  children  are  safe  with  Will 
— and  I  want  to  speak  to  you." 

She  flushed  at  his  using  her  first  name — but 
not  with  anger — he  spoke  so  gently  and  res- 
pectfully. Besides,  the  children  were  within 
sight — surely  there  was  no  necessity  to  refusa 
to  listen  to  Mr.  Letheby. 

So  she  resumed  her  seat  and  (rordon  began 
what  he  intended  to  be  an  explanation.  But 
it  was  rather  a  difficult  business,  he  found. 
This  young  girl  was  so  innocent  and  trustful 
that  it  was  not  agreeable  to  have  to  tell  her 
that  all  his  attentions  to  her  counted  for 
nothing,  and  that  he  was  betrothed  to 
another.  He  had  never  felt  so  thoroughly 
ashamed  of  himself  before ;  and  so  he 
foollBhly  tried  to  pave  the  way  by  using  a. 


SWEET  REVENGE. 


'great  many  half-tender  phrases,  to  which 
Armande  listened  with  downcast  eyes  and  a 
flattering  heart. 

"So  this  is  the  manner  in  which  yon  take 
care  of  children  placed  in  your  charge,  Made- 
moiselle Dovalle!"  exclaimed  an  angry 
Boomfnl  voice  beside  them. 

Both  started  up  to  confront  the  indigna- 
tion of  Constance  Markham. 

*  'Constance ! "  cried  Gordon.  '  'Is  it  really 
you ;  we  did  not  expect  you  till  '.ater." 

"So  it  appears,"  she  retorted,  her  lips 
quivering  with  passion.  "Mademoiselle,  be 
kind  enough  to  take  the  children  to  the 
house.     I  will  speak  to  you  presently." 

Trembling  with  undefined  fears,  and  only 
partly  aware  of  her  offense,  Armande  did  as 
she  commanded;  leaving  Gordon  and  Con- 
stance together. 

Half  an  hour  later  the  latter  entered  the 
school-room  and  said  coldly,  with  angry, 
glittering  eyes : 

"This  envelope  contains  a  cheque  in  pay- 
meat  of  your  services,  Mademoiselle  Dovalle. 
I  shall  be  glad  if  yon  can  make  it  convenient 
to  leave  here  by  the  first  train  to-morrow 
morning." 

"Leave?  Oh,  Miss  Markham,  why?  What 
have  I  done  ?"  asked  the  poor  girl,  her  face 
blanching  to  a  deith-like  pallor. 

"Done!  echoed  Constance,  passionately. 
"How  can  you  ask  me  such  a  question,  girl  ? 
Your  artfulness  is  really  beycnd  belief  1  I 
think  you  were  to  be  trusted  ;  but  I  find  you 
are  nothing  better  than  a  heartless  and  de  - 
ceiiful  coquette!" 

"Mademoiselle  1"  gasped  Armande,  in 
breathless  supplication. 

"It  is  true,"  Constance  went  on  furiously. 
"Not  content  with  doing  your  utmost  to  en- 
trap my  brother,  you  could  not   even  allow 

my  afllanoed  husband " 

Armande  interrupted  her  with  a  little  cry. 
"Mr.  Letheby  is  your  afllanced  husband?" 
he  asked. 
"Oh,  doc't  pretend  you  did  not  know,"  re 
torted  Constance  scornfully.     "You  will  de- 
ceive me  no  longer — I  understand  you  now. 
I  have  heard  about  your  morning  walks  and 
all  the  rest  of  it;  and  I  tell  you  candidly  that 
jou  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourself." 

Armande  for  a  moment  struggled  painfully 
with  her  emotion.  Then  she  found  sufficient 
calmness  to  reply  quietly : 

"You  are  doing  me  an  injustice.  I  was 
not  aware  of  your  engagement  to  Mr.  Lethe- 
by,  no  one  ever  told  me  of  it — and  I  saw  no 
impropriety  in  his  walking  by  my  side  if  he 
chanced  to  meet  me  as  I  came  from  Mass.  If 
it  was  wrong  I  did  not  know   it.    I   never 


soui^ht  his  society,  nor  did  I  ever  ende;ivor 
to  attract  your  brother's  attention.  But,  of 
course,  after  this,  I  can  no  longer  r*>mttin 
here.     I  will  go  to-morrow  morning."  * 

The  children  were  inconsolable  when  they 
were  told  that  their  patient  gentle  governess 
was  about  to  leave  them  ;  but  Constance  said 
nothing  about  it  to  the  other  members  of  the  y 
family  until  after  A.rmande'8  departure. 
Whereupon  Will  had  a  fresh  quarrel  with  his 
sister,  and  left  home  for  an  indefinite  period; 
and  even  quiet  Mr.  Markham  felt  impelled  to 
asks  bis  daughter's  reasons  for  such  a  sum- 
mary proceeding. 

Of  coarse  she  did  not  give  the  real  ones ;      | 
but  in  a  short  time  the  rupture  between  Gor-     j 
don  and  herself  was  healed  and  the  wedding, 
day  was  fixed. 

Gordon  was  by  no  means  ardently  in  love, 
but  he  admired  his  bride's  beauty,  accom- 
plishments, and  fortune,  while  she  liked  him 
perhaps  better  than  anybody  else  and  con- 
sidered that  his  probable  succession  to  a  bar- 
onetcy was  a  strong  point  in  his  favor. 
How  many  marriages  daily  take  place  actua- 
ted by  similar  motives  1 

«         «         m         ♦  *         *         «... 

Terror  and  confusion  reigned  in  a  hand- 
some London  House.  The  servants  were 
talking  in  hurried  whispers  in  the  intervals 
of  packing  their  boxes  and  preparing  for  a 
precipitate  flight.  The  terrible  enemy  small, 
pox  had  taken  up  his  abode  there,  and  no 
entreaty  or  persuasion  would  induce  them  to 
remain. 

"I  am  sure  I  don't  know  what  is  to  be 
done,"  cried  Mrs.  Letheby.helplessly.  "There 
is  not  a  nurse  to  be  had— and  I  dare  not  go 
into  the  room.  I  have  always  had  such  a 
horror  of  small-pox,  and  they  say  your  are 
more  likely  to  take  it  when  you  are  afraid, 
don't  they?  What  can  we  do  Dr.  Eade? 
None  of  the  servants  will  stay  now  they 
know  what  my  poor  husband's  illness  is — ex- 
cept the  cook,  and  although  she  has  had  it, 
she  positively  refuses  to  go  into  his  room.  It 
is  horrible  how  these  selfish  people  are  I" 

Dr.  Eade  could  hardly  repress  a  smile ;  but 
the  matter  was  a  serious  one,  and  his  half- 
bitter  amusement  was  short-lived, 

"I  called  at  the  convent  of  the  Sisters  of 
Mercy  as  I  came  along  jast  now,  and  stated 
the  case  to  the  superior,"  he  said.  "There 
was  no  sister  disengaged  just  then,  but  she 
promised  to  send  one  as  soon  as  possible." 

"I  wish  she  would,"  said  Mrs.  Letheby  in 
tones  of  fretful  weariness.  "I  feel  half  ill 
myself— no  wonder,  with  all  this  worry.  I 
can't  sleep  and  my  hands  barn  as  though  I 
had  a  fever.    Feel  them.'* 


SWEET  KEVENGE. 


The  dootor  took  one  of  her  jewelled  handu 
in  his  own  ana  quietly  felt  her  pulse. 

"You  most  endeavor  to  keep  yonrself  quiet 
and  calm.  But  don't  think  of  trying  to  go 
away — you  are  really  not  well  enough  to 
iravel." 

"You  don't  think  I  am  going  to  have  it,  Dr. 
Eade  ?"  she  exclaimed  in  violent  alarm,  clutch- 
ing him  eagerly  by  the  sleeve,  "Say  you  don't 
think  so  1  Oh  it  would  be  too  horrible,  too — " 

"A  person  to  speak  to  you  ma'am,"  inter- 
rupted a  servant  flinging  open  the  door. 

"Ah,  sister,  you  are  a  welcome  sight,"  said 
the  Doctor  heartily,  as  a  young  woman,  in 
the  quaint  distinctive  garb  of  a  Sister  of  Mer- 
cy, entered  the  room. 

Mrs.  Letheby  had  thrown  herself  upon  a 
sofa,  pallid  and  shivering,  and  she  offered  no 
greeting.  The  Sister  glanced  enquiringly 
from  her  to  the  Dootor,  who  drawing  her 
aside,  whispered: 

"You  will  have  your  hands  full.  Husband 
and  wife;  both,  I  fear.  It  is  a  bad  business. 
"You  are  not  afraid  ?" 

"Afraid  1"  repeated  the  Sister,  with  the 
faintest  foreign  accent  imaginable,  as  she 
smiled  a  quiet  fearless  smile  "Certainly 
not.  It  is,  however,  my  first  case  of  this 
'kind,  BO  you  must  forgive  me  if  I  requiro 
much  teaching.  Perhaps  a  more  experienced 
Sister  will  join  me  in  a  day  or  two." 

So  Sister  Mary  Qabriel  was  installed  as 
nurse;  and  next  day,  as  Dr.  Eade  predicted, 
she  had  two  patients  on  her  hands.  Some- 
how, as  the  Doctor  left  the  house,  be  was 
thinking  more  how  pitiful  it  would  be  to  be- 
hold the  Sister's  sweet  peaceful  face  seamed 
and  disfigured  by  the  h.'deous  disease,  than 
of  the  sadness  of  a  similar  v^Atastrophe  destroy- 
ing the  proud  beauty  of  the  future  Lady 
Letheby. 

*  «  «  4t  * 

Neither  of  the  patients  died.  Dr.  Eade 
declared  that  the  recovery  was  chiefly  owing 
to  the  wonderful  nursing  they  had  had — nurs- 
ing which  had  worn  the  tireless,  devoted 
young  sister  to  a  mere  shadow  of  her  former 
self. 

Mrs.  Letheby  had  recognized  her  from  the 
first — had  known  her  for  the  same  Armande 
Dovalle  she  had  treated,  as  she  afterwards 
found,  with  such  harsh  injustice  five  years 
before  but  she  could  not  resist,  and  she  had 
to  submit  to  the  humiliation  of  availing  her- 
self of  the  priceless  services  of  one  whom  she 
had  wronged. 

"Yon  need  me  no  longer — I  am  to  return 
to  the  convent  to-morrow,"  remarked  Sister 
Mary  Oabriel,   when  Gordon  Letheby  had 


feebly  crawled  to  a  chair  in  his  wife's  boudoir, 
where  she  equally  feeble,  though  her  attack 
had  been  much  slighter,  awaited  him;  aud 
after  a  few  half-sad  jests  upon  their  weakneH» 
and  mutual  congratulations  upon  their  re- 
covery had  passed. 

"To-morrow?  What  shall  we  do  without 
you?"  said  Constance.  I  can't  let  you  go," 
she  continued,  with  a  hasty  glance  at  her  hus- 
band, "without  mentioning  a  very  painful 
subject.     I  want  to  apologize  for " 

"Not  only  you,  but  I  also,  Constance,"  in. 
terposed  Gordon,  with  a  dark  flush  rising  on 
his  pale  face. 

"Hush  I"  said  Sister  Mary  Gabriel,  lifting 
her  finger  admonitorily,  with  a  bright  smile 
"I  must  not  allow  any  mention  of  painful 
subjects.  But,  of  course,  I  know  what  you 
mean  and  so  I  will  say  that  all  is  forgiven  and 
forgotten.  Perhaps  I  was  foolish  and  a  little 
vain— very  likely  it  was  so — I  did  not  under- 
stand. And  you  believed  yourself  justified, 
madam.  But  I  have  long  been  glad  that  it 
happened  so.  It  made  me  think  seriously, 
and  I  believe  it  led  to  my  discovering  my  true 
vocation.  I  thank  the  good  Qod  for  it.  It 
is  impossible  that  I  could  ever  have  been  so 
happy  otherwise  as  lam  now." 

They  could  not  doubt  her  happiness  as  they 
gazed  at  her  placid  face  with  its  quietly  joy- 
ous smile,  and  looked  into  the  depths  of  her 
earnest  innocent,  child-hke  eyes. 

"You  have  revenged  yourself  nobly,"  mur- 
mured Gordon,  feeling  humbled  and  shame- 
stricken  as  he  thought  of  the  past. 

"Do  you  call  this  revenge  ?"  asked  the  Sis- 
ter, laughing.  "Then  the  saying  is  true  that 
'revenge  is  sweet'  for  I  have  found  it  very 
pleasant." 

***** 

It  is  a  trite  remark  that  "Time  works  won- 
ders," but  perhaps  it  was  never  more  clearly 
exemplified  than  in  the  fact  that  the  once 
lazy,  half-cynical  Will  Markham  has  become 
not  only  a  Catholic,  but  a  most  energetic  and 
hard-working  priest.  Gtordon  Letheby  has 
succeeded  to  the  baronetcy  now;  but  though 
Constance  has  thus  attained  the  summit  of 
her  ambition,  she  is  no  longer  as  selfishly 
haughty  and  imperious  as  of  old.  Her  illness 
did  her  good,  people  say,  and  her  beauty  suf, 
f ered  but  little. 

As  for  Sister  Mary  Gabriel  she  pursues  he» 
chosen  career  of  holy  self-devotion  with  peace- 
ful mian  and  happy  heart.  The  Lethebya 
never  knew  that  she  had  entreated  and  ob- 
tained permission  to  exchange  duties  with  the 
Sister  who  was  to  have  been  sent  to  the  small- 
pox-stricken house,  acd  so  had  intentionally 
earned  her  "Sweet  Revenge." 


LEGEND    OF    ST.   CHRISTOPHER. 


In  olden  times  there  was  a  man  named  Of- 
fei'UB,  of  Buob  immense  Hize  and  strength 
that  men  looked  upon  him  almost  as  a  giant; 
but  they  loved  him  greatly  for  his  kiuduesH 
and  good  nature.  OflForns  determined  to 
employ  himself  in  Berviuj  others,  and  while 
he  was  very  young  he  set  forth  on  a  journey 
t<:>  Und  the  mobt  mighty  prince  the  woald 
contained,  to  whom  he  might  oflfor  himself. 
He  was  directed  to  the  Court  of  a  powerful 
king,  who  rejoiced  in  possessing  a  servant  of 
Buch  enormous  size  and  strength;  and  Offems 
was  well  content,  until  one  day  he  saw  his 
royal  master,  at  the  mention  of  the  name  of 
tbe  devil,  make  the  sign  of  the  Gross  in  evi- 
dent alarm. 

"What  is  that  for?"  asked  Ofiferus. 

"Because  I  fear  the  devil,"  replied  the 
king. 

'  'Then  if  you  fear  him,  he  is  more  power- 
ful thp.n  you,  and  I  willseive  you  no  more," 
said  Ofiferus.  "I  have  resolved  to  give  my 
Btrength  to  him  who  is  mightiest;  so  I  must 
take  the  devil  for  my  master,"  and  with  that 
Le  left  the  Court. 

After  having  travelled  far,  Offerus  came 
upon  a  large  company  of  horsemen,  whose 
chief  was  black,  and  who  spoke  to  him,  ask- 
ing what  he  sought. 

"Oh,  I  am  seeking  the  devil.  I  wish  to 
serve  him.'' 

"I  am  he.  If  you  wish  to  belong  to  my 
servants,  I  will  receive  you.  Follow  me." 
And  thus  Offerus  was  enrolled  amongst  the 
servants  of  Satan. 

It  happened  that  in  one  of  their  journeys 
the  troop  came  to  a  large  Cross  standing  at 
the  corner  of  a  road.  The  devil  ordered  them 
to  retreat. 

"What  is  that  for?"  said  Ofiferus. 

"Because  I  fear  the  image  of  Christ." 

"Then  you  are  not  so  mighty  as  He;  so  I 
will  serve  this  Christ."  And  Ofiferus  passed 
alone  before  the  Cross,  and  continued  his 
journey. 

After  awhile  he  met  a  holy  hermit,  of 
whom  he  inquired  where  he  should  find 
Christ. 

"Everywhere,"  was  the  answer. 

"I  don't  understand  that,"  said  Ofiferus; 
"but  if  such  is  the  truth,  can  a  strong  man 
like  myself  be  of  use  to  Him?" 

•*You  can  serve  Him  by  prayer,  by  fast- 
ing, by  vigils,  my  son,"  replied  the  holy  man. 
But  a  shadow  passed  across  the  face  of  Offer- 
us: 


"Is  there  no  other  way  in  which  to  please 
Him?"  he  asked. 

The  hermit  took  him  to  the  edge  of  a  tor* 
rent,  which  came  down  from  the  mountains, 
and  said:  "The  poor  pilgrims  who  wish  to  f 
cross  this  stream  get  wet,  and  are  almost 
borne  away  by  its  force  sometimes.  Btay 
here,  and  bear  across  all  those  who  come  to 
the  bank;  and  if  you  do  this  simple  service 
for  the  love  of  Christ,  He  will  one  day  ac- 
knowledge you  among  His  followers," 

The  plan  pleased  Offerus,  and  he  began 
to  build  a  little  cabin,  in  which  he  dwelt  by 
the  water's  edge,  and  by  day  and  by    night 
he  carried  across  the  torrent  any  pilgrim  who   ' 
asked  his  help. 

One  night,  when  he  was  sleeping,  Offerus 
heard  a  childish  voice  calling  him  by  his  ' 
name  three  times.  It  was  a  dark  night,  and 
the  stream  was  very  deep  and  strong  ;  but 
the  great  powerful  man  had  no  fear,  and  • 
taking  the  little  child  who  had  called  to  him 
upon  his  shoulders,  he  stepped  into  the  water. 

When  he  reached  the  middle  of  the  stream 
tbe  torrent  was  unusually  strong,  and  as  he 
struggled  through  it  with  difficulty  he  had 
never  felt  before,  it  seemed  as  if  the  child  he 
carried  became  as  heavy  as  a  leaden  weight. 
The  thunder  rolled  overhead,  lightning 
gleamed  upon  the  water,  and  Offerus  felt  as 
if  his  burden  increased  every  moment. 

"How  is  it,  little  child,  that  you  appear  so 
heavy  ?"  he  said  at  last.  "It  seems  as  if  I 
was  carrying  the  world  itself." 

"Not  only  the  world,  but  He  who  made 
it,"  said  the  little  silvery  voice.  "I  am 
Christ,  thy  Maker,  thy  God,  thy  Master.  In" 
return  for  tb  ^  service  thou  hast  offered  Me, 
I  baptize  thee,  in  the  Name  of  the  Father,  of 
the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  and  I  name 
thee  'Christopher,'  the  bearer  of  Christ." 

They  gained  the  shore,  and  a  sweetness 
filled  the  seal  of  the  newly-made  Christian, 
He  fell  prostrate  in  adoration  before  the  Di- 
vine Child,  Who  thus  addressed  him : 

"Rise,  Christopher,  and  fix  thy  staff  in 
the  earth.  To-morrow  it  shall  bloom  with 
white  and  fragrant  roses,  as  a  token  that 
Christ  has  been  thy  burden  this  night,"  and 
then  the  Holy  Child  disappeared  amidst  the 
bright  and  glowing  flame. 

The  sun's  earliest  ray  fell  upon  Christo- 
pher, still  kneeling  in  silent  adoration  as  he 
had  knelt  before  his  Lord  and  Master,  and 
by  his  side  was  the  staff,  which  had  been  dry 
and  withered,  now  covered  with  fragrant 
roses  such  as  once  bloomed  in  Eden. 


LEGEND  OF  THE  ENTRANCE  TO  HEAVEN, 


According  to  an  old,  old  story,  there  was 
a  day  when  the  Holy  ApoHtle  St.  Peter  placed 
along  the  golden  streeta  of  the  Heayeuly  City 
with  a  look  of  pain  upon  bin  tiice,  as  if  he 
was  Ro-ely  troubled,aud  St.  John, meeting  him 
thus,  inquired  what  ailed  him. 

"  Hast  thon  not  seen  here  the  faces  of 
many  who  seem  scarcely  fitted  for  so  glorious 
a  home  ?"  replied  St.  Peter,  sadly.  "Little 
has  it  cost  me  to  enter  here,  and  yet  we  know 
that  heaven  must  be  gained  by  many  a  battle 
bravely  won,  by  many  a  struggle  and  pain 
and  temptation  conquered." 

"  But  .thou  dost  guard  the  keys  of  heaven?" 
said  St.  John. 

"  I  dt.  But  though  such  is  my  post,  it  is 
St.  Joseph  who  causes  me  this  distress.  No 
matter  how  sinful  his  life  may  be,  12  in  death 
a  person  cries  to  him  in  faith  and  love,  he 
brings  them  here.  How  thpy  enter  I 
can  scarcely  tell,  for  they  do  not  pass 
the  gate  at  which  I  stand;  but  I  see 
them  here,  and  it  perplexes  me,  and  I  must 
speak  to  our  Divine  Master,  lest  He  may 
think  me  careless  in  my  guarding  the  en- 
trance  to  the  Heavenly  City." 

St.  John  smiled.  "Thou  art  Peter,  and 
the  Lord  Jesus  loves  thee  well,"  he  said ;  "and 
yet  I  tell  thee  that  if  St.  Joseph  plead  against 
thee,  thy  cause  is  lost." 

The  great  Apostle  bethought  him  then  of 
the  night  upon  which  St.  John  had  rested  his 
head  upon  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus  when 
He  was  on  earth.  Surely  the  love  of  the 
Lord  for  John  was  as  great  as  He  would  feel 
for  His  foster-father. 

"  Come  with  me,"  he  said;  "thou  hast 
ever  been  called  the  Beloved  Apostle ;  no  fear 
but  the  Master  will  listen  if  thou  art  by  my 
side." 

Together  they  stood  before  Jesus,  who  had 
Mary  and  Joseph  on  either  side  of  Him. 

"What  is  it,  Peter  ?"  said  the  gentle  Voice. 

"  I  am  troubled,  dear  Lord,"  replied  the 
Apostle,  raising  his  eyes  to  the  Divine  Face. 
"  It  seems  to  me  scarce  just  to  those  who 
serve  Thee  well  on  fanrth,  if  so  many  who 
spend  their  life  in  sin,  gain  heaven  after  all. 


And  yet  it  is  St.  Joseph  who  does  this.  All 
who  call  to  him  when  they  have  to  die  are 
sure  of  his  protection,  and  he  brings  them 
here  among  TLy  martyrs  and  Thy  saints." 

''O  Petor!  dost  thou  not  yet  know  that 
when  1 1  ardon  the  greatest  sinner  he  wins 
life  eternal?  No  soul  is  brought  to  heaven 
by  St.  Joseph  which  has  not  first  sought  Me, 
and  been  cleansed  by  the  Blood  which  flowed 
on  Calvary  for  the  salvation  of  the  world." 

"Lord,  I  know  that  those  who  die  in  Thy 
grace  shall  surely  see  Thee,"  replied  St. 
Peter.  "  I  know  that  thus  the  dying  thief 
found  an  entrance  here,  and  many,  many 
more.  Yet,  surely,  it  is  not  well  for 
the  Church  on  earth  that  St.  Joseph  should 
so  easily  gain  admittance  for  all  who  cry  to 
him.  How,  then,  will  sinners  believe  in  the 
punishment  of  sin,  and  the  judgment,  severe 
and  just,  which  follows  death?" 

"True,  Peter,"  said  the  Master;  "yet 
what  can  I  refuse  my  father,  who  guarded 
My  childhood  on  earth,  who  worked  and  suf- 
fered for  Me  when  I  was  a  weak  and  helpless 
Babe?" 

The  Apostle  bowed  his  head,  still  but  half 
convinced,  and,  seeing  this,  the  sweetest 
smile  illumined  the  face  of  the  Saviour. 

"Ah,  Peter,  Peter,"  He  said,  "Thou 
wouldst  have  none  here  but  My  chosen  few 
who  gain  heaven  by  true  and  faithful  service. 
Dearly  I  prize  this  service,  justly  I  reward  it ; 
but  know  also  that  I  give  heaven  for  love 
that  I  who  suffered  so  much  to  save  man- 
kind will  have  here  in  glory  every  sinner  who 
dies  contrite ;  nor  do  I  wish  that  one  should 
be  shut  out,  however  guilty,  however  miser- 
able, who  has  turned  in  his  last  moments  to 
Me,  the  lover  of  sinners.  Does  this  mercy 
indeed  displease  thee  ?  Wouldst  thou  choose 
a  company  of  thine  own,  and  not  admit  those 
who  cry,  'Jesus,  Mary,  Joseph,'  as  they  pass 
from  earth  ?" 

Then  the  Apostle  bowed  low  at  the  feet  of 
his  Saviour  and  EiLg  : 

"Lord,  Thouknowes  beet, "he murmured. 
"Thy  Will  I  love,  and  to  tha  Will  I  bend." 


■  .iir/mtlif: 


,# 


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